Free as the Wind
by S.R.H. Fade
Summary: Link and Link find themselves on an island called Outset, where a young boy named Link lives. 'Nuff said.
1. Chained

Disclaimer: I do not think that Nintendo or Shigeru Miyamoto would be writing fanfics about Legend of Zelda, so I'm obviously not them, meaning I don't own Legend of Zelda.

* * *

The Hero Chosen by the Goddesses walked slowly down the streets of the Twilight Realm, his pace not at all rushed. It would appear that he was taking his time to observe the surroundings, yet, in reality, he was hiding his exhaustion. He gazed with unreadable eyes around him, taking in the tall, shadowy buildings, the forlorn palace he had just left, the ethereal horizon that never changed, forever casting the half-shadows of the twilight hour upon the realm, and the smiling, grateful faces of the Twili. They did not really know who he was, only that he was the Hero, chosen to save them. And save them he had.

Zant had been defeated. Now, the time had come to storm Hyrule Castle and rescue Princess Zelda, along with the rest of the land of Hyrule. It was his fate, his destiny as the reincarnation of the Hero of Time. It was inescapable, inevitable, chaining the sixteen-year-old youth to a duty he had been born with. In that way, he was a puppet swinging alone on his string, the puppet-master the Goddesses above.

But even if he wasn't being forced into this, wouldn't the outcome be the same? He knew his own personality quite well, and he supposed that even if he wasn't chained so perfectly to the role of the Hero, wouldn't he still feel obligated to save Hyrule? If he weren't a reincarnation of the Hero of Time, if he weren't the Hero Chosen by the Goddesses, wouldn't he still end up in this position?

Maybe that mind-set of his was yet another trap, devised by the puppet-master who pulled all strings.

The watching eyes of the Twili bored into him, and he suddenly wanted nothing more than to escape this realm. If only those people, the people he had just saved, could stop seeing him as a savior, perhaps he could enjoy their presence more. But no. No, they would always see him as the Hero Chosen by the Goddesses, the Hero whose only purpose was to bring salvation. It seemed to him that to be the Hero meant to bring such happiness to all but the Hero himself.

He didn't mind helping the people. In fact, he enjoyed it. Such was his personality as a selfless person; if other around him were content, to an extent, so was he. And because of that, when he had become the Hero, he had always appeared as a kind, quiet, polite young man, trying his best to stay in the shadows and away from an obtrusive existence.

If Ilia could see him now, she would wonder what had happened to her childhood friend, who used to be a bright, quippy boy with a witty tongue. Although, granted, said tongue was never used to defend himself against a reprimand he deserved, nor against any adult. The person Ilia knew was sensitive, cheerful, understanding friend, who was likable to even people he had just met. Ilia had once told him that he was, "caring and yet, carefree" in everything he did. Compared to the person he had been, he had, really, turned into a completely different person upon standing before the Light Spirit Faron and finding he wore the green tunic of the Hero.

That tunic had been given to him because of the Hero of Time, yet he barely even knew the Hero of Time. He was a mystery to him, and none of the villagers knew, either. Honestly, he hadn't even known that there was such a hero until the Light Spirits had told him so, and even then, there only was the few answers he had squeezed out of Ordona. She kindly told him about how nobody would know the tale because most of it had been lost by time, and nothing more. Whatever that meant. If he was so great, then why didn't anybody know of him?

...But he was almost envious of the unknown status this "Hero of Time" had.

They were still watching him, reminding him even further of the duty he had. He picked up his pace to a brisk trot, making a break for the Mirror of Twilight, but before he could reach it, a Twili woman grabbed his arm. He jerked and shrunk away slightly. Nobody touched him except the Ordon villagers and his partner imp, and he preferred that it stay that way, but how could he deny her? She whispered something, her face drawn and worried and filled with hope at the sight of the Hero, but he couldn't understand her. A pang of guilt shot through him. He could not help her, simply because he could not understand their language, and it tore at him inside.

"She asks if you have seen their ruler, the Twilight Princess," a voice hissed in his ear. He glanced quickly back over his shoulder, and caught a glimpse of shadow vanishing back into his own by his feet. The surrounding Twili didn't seem to have noticed, and the Twili woman in front of him merely repeated what she had said, the musical voice gaining a slight edge of panic.

His glowing blue eyes stared into the orange ones in front of him for a second longer, his mind trying to decide what to do, what to say, then he slowly shook his head. The imp hiding within his shadow gave a small sigh of relief, glad that he had held his promise. She had told him before they left the palace that it was preferred nobody know where she was or that she was actually aiding the Hero himself. But the Twili woman's face fell, and the Hero looked like he might try to take back his answer.

Quickly, he bit his lip and tried to communicate with gestures that the Twilight Princess was probably alright, that she shouldn't worry. The Twili woman seemed to understand to an extent, and she smiled back, although the smile was stained with despair and grief. Then she bowed slightly to him and hurried back to a small Twili child. He assumed that the child was hers, and felt slightly envious of the child. At least this child had parents. He could not remember his, and the villagers had just found him as a toddler curled up in the Ordon spring.

He could feel the imp in his shadow twitching uncomfortably, surrounded by the people she felt she had abandoned, and decided that perhaps he was not the only one feeling pressured by something. Crossing the rest of the distance between him and the Mirror, his boots planted themselves firmly in front of the portal. Then he was weightless, dissolved into Twilight particles that vanished into the clouds.

But Heroes are never weightless. Because, after all, they have the weight of the world upon their shoulders, a weight that threatens to crush whatever poor existence was beneath it.

To the Hero, it is either be crushed, or keep moving forward.

* * *

The Hero of Time watched the bustling town below him, blue eyes keen and alert. The rooftops were the perfect places to be for him, so he could carefully watch over the people below. Yet, none of them remembered who he was as the Hero of Time. Technically, none of that happened.

All that had transpired seven years ago was a ten-year-old Kokiri boy had collected the three spiritual stones and solved multiple problems plaguing Hyrule at the same time, then Princess Zelda had warned King Hyrule that Ganondorf planned to overthrow Hyrule after receiving information from a mysterious, anonymous source—namely, him—that she claimed she trusted with her life. That claim had been because she was the sole being—besides his fairy—who remembered exactly what he had done as the Hero of Time. It had taken an entire recount of the events, but she remembered, and he was grateful for that.

And it was a very fortunate that she did remember, because when Ganondorf showed his true colors, Hyrule was ready with an army and an empty cell due to her forewarning. The Gerudo had been captured, imprisoned, and then sealed away by the sages. The young man on the rooftop didn't know where the sages had sent Ganondorf, but hoped that he was somewhere where he couldn't cause any trouble. Personally, he didn't think that Ganondorf could be held back by anything other than the gates of Hell, the gates that would slam shut to those who entered and would never reopen to anybody regardless of any Triforce of Power. But Hyrule had the peace he had worked so hard for, the peace he had bled for, the peace he had traveled through time for. And that was what counted to him.

Even if they didn't really remember him, he would never forget them. Hyrule was the world that he loved. He had grown up within the enclosed area of the Kokiri Forest, and he loved the Kokiri was well, but the world beyond the protection of the Great Deku Tree was where he felt at home. He wasn't even a real Kokiri, merely a Hylian who had been misled for most of his life. The wide, open areas just waiting to be explored, whispering to him that adventure was here, had replaced the Kokiri Forest in its status as home. At least, he hoped that he no longer considered the Kokiri Forest his home.

Hyrule had become so precious to him as he quested for the spiritual stones that he, mentally at only ten years, had accepted a seventeen-year-old physical body and pushed aside the fact that he had missed seven years of his life just so he could destroy Ganondorf. It was him who had turned Hyrule's peace into a thick cloud of fear that settled over everything, smothering all life. It was a scary thought, that only an eleven-year-old child would do such a thing.

It had disturbed Rauru, he had seen from the sage's face, and he was glad that Rauru hadn't known what his thoughts were at the time if the elder sage had been shocked by his mere actions. His first thought when he realized what had happened, where others would break down in the unfairness of it all, had been, _Surely I'll be able to fight fairly against Ganondorf now. With this strength, I'll have a fighting chance._ Only after that did he frown at the thought of seven whole years of his life being stolen from him. He had gone through the past seven years of his life, having a proper childhood as Zelda had wanted with much appreciation, but he hadn't minded sacrificing what seemed to him such a small price for an opportunity to save Hyrule.

Of course, as the Hero, he had felt the pressure. If he failed, if he died, if he even so much as sprained an ankle, then Hyrule would never again see a smiling face. But most of the time, all he had to do was to look at the hopeful face of a Hylian and find renewed strength. The unconditional trust that they gave him was depressing at times; after all, to betray such trust would be unbearable to both the Hylians and the Hero. But such pressure could make him go on when he thought that he couldn't. Such pressure would have been depressing, but with the thought of finding Zelda, it had turned into a driving force.

Even after all these years, he still harbored something for her way down in his heart. He was a commoner, she was a princess, but that didn't stop him from sneaking into the castle garden every month to share a few laughs with his childhood friend. She was possibly one of the reasons why he had been able to keep walking forward on his quest to overthrow Ganondorf seven years ago. To find her...and protect her from Ganondorf. He had no idea how she saw him, but he was vaguely aware that he wished, deep down, that perhaps they were more than just friends.

"Hey!" He was jerked out of his thoughts by the cry of a fairy, and he realized that he had been totally unaware of what was happening. His blue eyes snapped and locked onto her as she floated at his side. "Look! Right down there! Honestly, be more alert..." So he peered down over the edge of the shingles into a small alleyway. A small girl, finely dressed, clutched a matching purse to her thin chest while she trembled in fear. The whole outfit she wore was frilly and girly, but she was a person being threatened, so he didn't exactly care. He could clearly see the rusted dagger in the scrawny man's fingers, and his eyes narrowed. Without hesitation, he jumped off the two-story building and landed easily on his feet, the fairy trailing behind him. Placing himself between the girl and the man, he stared at his opponent with steely coolness.

Only then did he check himself for weapons. He had none of the items that he had collected during his quest, because he had either supposedly never laid hands on them or he had outgrown them already. However, he had kept the magic pouch that rested under his shield, even though there were no items to carry in it anymore. It was useful for bottles, but nothing more than that. The masks from Termina were also there, as well as many artifacts he'd collected there, but he never used them anymore.

At least there was the fine sword he had bought recently to replace the three others had that he had used until they were beyond repair or careful treatment. He cared for each sword as a father would a child, yet they could never hold up against the strain he put them through. The trusted Hylian Shield, though, he wouldn't be discarding anytime soon. After all, he had just barely grown into it a year ago.

These weapons weren't exactly essential to deal with such a petty robber, but he felt naked without a sword on his back. It was something he'd kept with him throughout his entire life in Hyrule. The green trademark of the Kokiri was another thing he had kept with him, along with his hat. New clothes were necessary as he grew up through the years he had missed, but he never got a different style of clothing. It was always the same green tunic, the same boots, the same leggings, the same hat. He didn't care what anybody said about his tunic, or the pointed cap, or the sword, he just knew that he wasn't getting rid of any of those essentials. He treated them as memories that he wouldn't let go of. That tunic was his last connection to the Kokiri.

The thin man stared at the newcomer, his stance hunched and sloppy. "Who are you, eh? Stay outta this if you don' wanna to get 'urt!" he threatened in a reedy voice, now using two hands to keep the dagger point from quivering. In a desperate attempt to look tough, he chuckled weakly and added, "What's wit' tha' outfit, anyway?"

No response, but the figure in green silently shooed the girl out of the alley. She nodded, trembling just a little less, and fled as fast as her multiple skirts would let her. The two eyed each other, one with growing terror, the other with calm determination. Finally, the robber growled and lunged clumsily, and the once-Hero merely sighed as he prepared to sidestep. Protecting Hyrule in the back alley, rounding up the small criminals, working backstage to clear the messes that the Hylian soldiers missed was the best he could do without recreating the Hero of Time. And what a pointless Hero that would be in this age of peace.

Yet, he would not abandon his duty as Hyrule's protector.

* * *

"You're resting whether you like it or not, at least until morning. You'll just get killed if you try and storm Hyrule Castle now," the imp scolded harshly, crossing her arms. He opened his mouth to protest, but she cut him off. "I saw you in the Twilight Realm. You might have fooled everybody else, but not me. And it'll do no good if you finally get to Ganondorf and you're too tired to stand straight."

He looked away. She had a point, even if he didn't want to admit it. Or did he? His thoughts were confusing him. One side wanted to finish Ganondorf, and the other shied away from sheer thought of doing such a thing and becoming a true Hero. The imp caught his look and her body lost some of its stiffness. Her eyes softened as she finished, rather apologetically, "I brought you here because you seem to like Lake Hylia. Thought it'd be something good for your nerves, so don't get all sulky at me. I'm doing you a favor, alright, wolf-boy?" To be so soft was unlike her, and he knew that she wouldn't allow herself to be _too_ nice, so there was a stingy half-insult at the end.

He simply sat down by the waters edge and smiled slightly at her. She huffed, trying to appear angry, and slipped back into his shadow that was cast in the gentle light of the moon. Fyer was by his cannon, doing some fine tuning, but other than that, there was nobody around. The Hero just faced away from the hunched elder and gazed at the beautiful scenery, the natural features of Lake Hylia laced with the silvery glow from the night sky. He tried hard not to think of anything, to lose himself in the sparkling waters, and to forget the world and its problems around him.

In the secluded Ordon village, he hadn't been able to understand the phrase, "Ignorance is bliss," because he himself had been so incredibly ignorant at the time. But now that he was fully aware of every little problem that went on in Hyrule, including the threat festering within Hyrule Castle's walls, he understood. Especially now that he was charged with solving those problems.

Finally, the mesmerizing ripples on the waters surface allowed his mind to submerge into a daze, with no thoughts scurrying around his mind incessant little rats he could not kill. All sound was blocked from his ears, and he even forgot to feel the grass beneath him. He didn't know how long he sat there, only that the stillness was broken by the imps' sudden shriek, "GET _BACK_!"

Snapping out of it, his jittery nerves made him roll backwards on reflex, and he only looked around to see what was happening after his instincts deemed that he was in a safe area. A vast cyclone was building near where he had just been, but it appeared to be restrained to the water. He drew the Master Sword and the Hylian Shield automatically, but on second thought, he realized that even the sacred blade could do nothing against the wind, so he quickly replaced them.

His boots started to slide on the grass, crunching over the dirt patches, and he was forced to yank the Iron Boots out of his enchanted pouch that rested hidden under his shield. Yet, even armed with the weights that Gorons could not push, the wind dragged him closer. His eyes narrowed, the solid determination that took over in battle pushing away all other emotions.

The imp was panicking from his shadow. "That's not natural! We have to get out of here! Hurry!" Indeed, Fyer hadn't seemed to notice the raging tornado in the middle of the usually peaceful Lake Hylia. The Hero couldn't see why; Lake Hylia was a quiet, serene place, and the winds whipping and howling around his pointed ears were deafening. Especially to him, with his sensitive Hylian ears that picked up noises others with round ears couldn't hear and found voices to be uncomfortably loud when others thought it at a perfect volume.

"I'll warp us!" the imp's voice screamed from the shadow, but he shook his head quickly. "What do you mean, n—the Iron Boots! Damnit!" Neither had a doubt that without the Iron Boots, the wolf form that was required to warp would fly easily into the center of the whirling winds. At least as a human, with the Iron Boots, he had a chance of escaping.

For every strained step he took away from the source of the pull, he was dragged back three. The wind was only getting stronger and more forceful, and yet, Fyer still hadn't noticed. It was obviously something unnatural. The only reason he could find for Fyer being so oblivious would be that it was magic, because magic explained a vast majority of unexplainable things. More importantly, magic directed at him, the Hero specifically.

The light-weight imp was clinging to his left boot, unable to stay in his shadow any longer due to the force. She was shouting something in desperation, and although her high voice usually cut through most noises, the roar of the wind in his ears blocked all else. But he kept trying, until he was at the very edge of the water, and even then he kept trying, refusing to give up. This was the preferred nature of a Hero, showing that he was, really, cut out for the destiny even if he did not want it. His face was set in a stubborn glare, fixed on a spot in front of him. His right heel slid over the edge, and crumbled dirt flew past his face and into the vortex. He leaned forward even further, remembering how Hyrule depended on him to cast down the Dark Lord Ganondorf.

But as he thought that, it seemed that it would not drive him forward. Indeed, it was almost like his strength began to fail instead.

With one last cry, he snatched the imp from the ground and held her close in a last attempt to protect her, at the very least, as the the winds swept him off his feet with his Iron Boots still on. The wind roared in triumph as it sucked him and the imp into the maelstrom, causing him to be weightless once more. The cyclone whirled a second longer in it's place, spinning the curled figure in its center, then rose up towards the sky and out of sight. Abruptly, the silence came with sharp contrast to the uproar just a few seconds ago. There was no sign that the cyclone nor the Hero had ever been there, vanishing as thoroughly as the Hero of Time had.

* * *

He took a deep breath and glared subtly at the fairy, who just huffed when she caught sight of it. "It's true. Listen, you've been on those rooftops like a vulture night and day, so you should come here for at least a little while a take a breather."

The wooden boards of the bridge clanked under his boots as he walked towards the island. Even though he didn't agree with her, he was doing what she said anyway. "Don't you think you deserve a break, anyway? It's nearly night, too—oh, I know what you're going to say now. Don't even start on me. You're going to tell me that at night is when all the real meanies come out of their hidey-holes and cause all the ruckus. But you've got to sleep sometime, you know. You're only getting, what, six hours of sleep—hey! Hey, listen! I'm talking to you!" But he wasn't paying any attention to her, and he sped up the pace, leaving the irate fairy behind to catch up.

_See how it feels to be left behind?_ He thought to the fairy, even though she couldn't hear him. Then he felt guilty for thinking such thoughts. That was cruel.

The robber hadn't been hurt severely, just given a harsh bruise on his ribs and the back of his head. The young man wasn't a murderer, after all...exception of Ganondorf. No, and even then, he had never actually killed Ganondorf. But his job was to protect, not to destroy, so he had only done enough to subdue the elder man. Sure enough, the quick, sharp display of fighting experience had been enough to convince a weak, spineless surrender out of the robber, which the blue eyes had coldly refuted.

There had been a tense silence, then: "It's my wife," the robber finally admitted, somewhat grudgingly. "She's going to leave me if I cannot find a job or get money somehow." This confession was obviously geniune; it was visible in the mans desperate eyes. Only then the ex-Hero had pulled out his wallet and handed him a purple rupee before walking out of the alleyway, his duty done.

Although he didn't accept payment for his daily backstage peace maintenance, especially from those he had just saved, the richer ones sometimes planted huge sums of money in his hand and then ran off before he could refuse. Usually those were the noble girls around his age, the ones who left with daintily lifted skirts and many glances back while giggling, waving, and batting their eyes at him. He supposed that it was because of his looks, but whether or not his facial or physical features ranked high in the beauty book wasn't something that concerned him at all. The money was kept to pay for his daily meal, equipment care, the occasional clothing repair, and situations like the one with the robber.

Once he got to the island, he found that yes, the fairy had been right. He itched to get back to his post on the rooftop but at the same time, a part of him longed to sit here a while and perhaps play a song or two on Saria's Fairy Ocarina. He had given the Ocarina of Time back to Zelda as soon as he had gotten back from Termina, but he still kept the Fairy Ocarina, even though it was hard to play with his adult hands. The fingers would fumble and squeeze up against each other, the adult fingertips wouldn't go in the right holes, and in the end he would feel slightly foolish to be playing on a child's instrument when he was grown already. Noted, grown naturally. But he still kept it.

The Kokiri clothing style and the Fairy Ocarina were the last connections he had to a race he didn't really belong to, yet couldn't help but feel that he did in a way. It could be called a identity crisis, knowing that he was a Hylian but with a small section of his heart still wishing to be a part of the Kokiri world.

And besides, it was Saria's. He'd rather face Ganondorf again than have to throw away her present...even if he couldn't play said ocarina with her any longer.

Reaching under the pouch flap, he rummaged around in the enchanted bag until he could differentiate the polished wood from the glossy bottles and rounded masks from under his gauntlets. Against the little wooden instrument, his hand seemed to be of a giants. He knew that Saria and Mido and all the other Kokiri would never outgrow anything as he had, and he smiled sadly to himself. The fairy bobbed up in down in the air nervously, watching his face in a futile attempt to read it.

Seating himself carefully against the ancient tree that dominated the island, he was deciding whether or not to try and play the ocarina with nobody to hear but the still waters, when the still waters weren't so still anymore. The waters began to churn in a circular motion as wind swept round and round in a tornado fashion, and he leapt back to his feet. His eyes were wide with curiosity, yet hard with suspicion and distrust. The fairy was blabbering something in his ear, but he tuned her out on reflex. He'd listen to her advice _later_.

The wind began to take shape, funneling itself into a cyclone. Immediately, his mind identified it as hostile. It was growing stronger with each passing second, and he knew that he had no chance of casting down such magic. He didn't have any of his old items, and even then, he reminded himself with a sinking heart that even they wouldn't have been able to do anything anyway. His sword and shield weren't any use. He didn't even have the Iron Boots to weigh him down and help him hold his ground.

Backing away from the cyclone, he retreated to the far side of the island, only to have the whirlwind follow him on the water. Eyeing how the cyclone was limited to the lake, he scooted himself to the dead center of the island, where he had the best chance of survival. The fairy hid behind his shield, still constantly squeaking not very helpful advice in his pointed ears, and he waved a hand to quiet her. If she wasn't going to tell him how to stop the cyclone, then in battle she was useless.

When he started to slide forward, he latched himself to the tree as best as he could. Gritting his teeth, he mentally cursed himself for letting his guard down and actually going on his own free will to an easy target spot for attacks like the island. If something happened to him, what would happen to Hyrule? He struggled to remain upright when the wind finally wrenched his hands off the small grip he had.

"W-Wait! Noooo!" The jerk from letting go of the tree caused the fairy to slip from her spot under his shield, and the fierce gusts of wind wasted no time in snaring her petite frame. She zoomed into the swirling winds, screeching in panic. Without thinking, he jumped after her, expression set and determined. He had gone to Termina and back to find the fairy, and he wasn't going to let go of her any time soon. She had left him, but he still, for some inane reason, did not want to let her go. Only when she was safely in the palm of his hand did he realize that he had completely failed in his attempts to avoid the small hurricane. Brilliant.

The cyclone sucked him into its center, then lifted clear of the water and departed for the skies. As the ex-Hero watched Hyrule fall away from him and he lost consciousness, slipping into the dark shadows of his mind, he cursed himself again. His mind ran over Koume and Kotake, but disregarded them as unimportant at the moment. Judging by the cyclones actions, he was sure he was being taken somewhere. Somewhere other than Hyrule, and anywhere other than Hyrule wasn't good. Adventure he welcomed with open arms and a wicked smile, but he knew he would never rest until he could gaze upon Hyrule's lands and see with his own eyes that Hyrule was safe.

Then he prayed for Zelda and Hyrule to forgive him, for he had failed as Hyrule's hidden Hero.

* * *

The boy slipped as carefully as he could out from under the covers, making sure his sister didn't wake up. It was extremely rare to have him wake before her, considering his tendency to sleep anywhere, anytime, or just whenever he felt like it. Of course, he was the big brother, two whole years older than her, so it was his job to protect her.

Protecting her, in this case, meant she got a good night's sleep, so he didn't plan on waking her just because he miraculously woke before she. His grandma always reminded him of his duty as big brother, and he had grown up with the belief that if a single hair on her head was harmed, it would be his fault. Not that he minded having such a burden in the slightest; rather, it was a well-known fact amongst the islanders that he would do anything for her out of pure love. It caused a huge case of over-protectiveness on his part, but his sister seemed to enjoy the attention. And still she managed to get into all sorts of mischief whenever he fell asleep in the watchtower.

Tucking the covers gently around her sleeping form, he smiled, his eyes crinkling around his dark green eyes. Then he scratched his head and yawned softly, glancing out the window as he stretched. According to the sun, already high in the sky, it was already well into the morning. It was only natural and expected, though, because the two of them had unwittingly stayed up ridiculously late. And because it had been so deep into the night, he had panicked for his sister and jumped into "protective brother mode," ushering her to bed as soon as he realized how past her bedtime it was. He blamed himself for letting her stay up so late when she shouldn't, even though he had a decent reason for forgetting the time: they had been trying to pressure Grandma into telling _those parts _to the legend.

"Those parts", Grandma always admonished, "are too scary for young'uns like you." _Those parts_ were the sections of the story she wouldn't tell, details that the island kids would always beg for. For instance, there were never any details to the enemies, and mostly it was just, "And he killed the evil and freed the sage." At least she would mention who the sages were in relation to the Hero, even if she didn't tell any names. He supposed that she didn't know, just as she didn't know the Hero's name.

And then at the end, she only said that the Hero vanquished the evil, describing some sort of epic battle that changed at every recount of the legend, a little something that told the children that nobody really knew what had happened during that legendary fight. Then she always ended the story there. There wasn't an explanation on what happened to the Hero afterwards. It..._frustrated_ the boy. So much he couldn't put it into words.

Questions like, what happened to the "golden power" Grandma always mentioned was something she avoided, and what exactly was the "golden power," anyway? Then there was the question of how the evil had been beaten, although that was his sisters question, not his. He, Joel, and Zill knew that obviously the Hero stuffed his sword into the guy's gut and killed the mofo. She just argued back that Grandma was careful to always say "sealed away the evil" instead of killed, and the other boys had to admit she had a point. And after Grandma got shifty-eyed when Zill asked the question of what had happened to the kingdom afterwards, something that none of the other children would have asked about because they thought it was so obvious, that had turned into a repeated question as well. Just another mystery they would always beg answers for. The list of of those questions had become quite long.

Well, tomorrow would be his birthday. Not just any birthday; it was _the_ birthday. The day he turned eleven. He'd be as old as the Hero of Time, that legendary boy in green who saved the entire land, and then Grandma would have to admit that he was old enough to hear the rest. He grinned to himself, then spied the note on Grandma's chair.

_I've gone to Aunt Rose's house for today, finishing up your special birthday outfit. Help yourself to what's on the table. No soup today, saving for tomorrow!_

_-Lots of love! Grandma_

It was a given that he wouldn't let his sister out of his sight for a second, that he would demand she follow him or he shadow her wherever she went until Grandma came back. Because of this, however, there would be no time to talk to Sturgeon about the vast ocean beyond the island, a world the elderly scholar had seen with his own eyes as he and his brother Orca had quested in their youth to be the best swordsmen. No time to listen to Sue-Belle describe the island Windfall that he could only dream of, a fascinating world of its own where travelers of all sorts flocked to. No time to try his hand at the sword with Orca, an activity he had taken a liking to, despite his Grandma's disapproving frowns. He wouldn't be able to do any of those things he usually did and loved, but, then again, this was his sister. Sacrificing anything for his sister wasn't sacrificing at all, in his opinion. He grinned happily again, partly at of the thought of his sister and partly just for the heck of being happy, then hopped to the pantry and set to work on a cheese sandwich.

Just when he'd finished pouring his glass of milk to accompany his masterpiece sandwich, there was some groaning from behind him, and he peeked back over his shoulder to see his sister sitting up in bed. Rubbing her eyes, her normally neat hair was an absolute nightmare. He smirked at the frizzy pigtails that hadn't been taken out last night before she fell asleep, resulting in a mash of blonde hair with two limp strings desperately trying to do their job and tame the mess. Her bangs even stuck straight up in some strange cowlick, but she didn't notice.

She rolled off the bed in her half-sleep state, tangling herself with the white sheets, and landed with a thump and a sleepy "oof!" on the ground. His eyes flashed with mischief and he seized the opportunity, pouncing on her with his cheese sandwich in his right hand, tickling her with his left.

"Eek! Big Brother, stop!" she giggled, wiggling away. "Stoppit or I'll bite your sandwich!"

He gasped dramatically and pulled away immediately with overly wide eyes, stroking his sandwich while holding it close to him as if it were a newborn child. She giggled again at his theatrics. "Rawr! I'm hungry!" Lunging for the sandwich in his hand, she snapped at it like a shark. He lifted it high over her head, sticking his tongue out at her. "Hey! No fair! You're taller than me!"

He smirked again and casually tossed the sandwich back on its plate, knowing exactly what would happen if he took his eyes off the sandwich for a moment. Still, he turned away from the sandwich to face off against the disaster his sister had created from the bed, untangling the hopeless knot the sheets had become and setting them back in their proper place.

After smoothing the sheets out one more time, he turned around again to see his sister with bread crumbs on her face and his sandwich in her hand. A huge, single bite-shaped chunk was missing, and she grinned toothily at him in triumph, cheese sticking out from between her teeth. He rolled his eyes, another smile tugging at his mouth, then patted her head and started preparing another one. He wasn't particularly hungry, but he knew if he didn't eat, she wouldn't either. His sister took another shark-bite out of the sandwich, eyes glowing with happiness.

Some people would call it a miracle that he wasn't angry in the slightest at his sister after all the teasing he had endured in less than three minutes, however innocent it might have been. His Grandma would just call it brotherly love, and he agreed with her. Most people expected brothers to hate their little sisters, but anyone who knew the two siblings would know better.

"Big Brother, I'm thirsty," she chirped a minute later. He handed her his glass of milk, which had been sitting untouched the entire time. "Thanks! What're we doing today, Big Brother?"

After a moments thought he just shrugged, then took a bite of his new sandwich. He watched the seagulls flock outside, the birds seeming to sense his sisters presence, and he smiled when she began to tear bits of her bread off to toss through the window. Her face, so bright and lively, so infectiously cheerful, he didn't know what would do if that face were ever to be replaced with one of fear.

No, he knew what he would do. Anything. He would do absolutely anything. He would cross any sea or face any foe, without a doubt. Travel to the ends of the Great Sea if he had to, just to keep her from harm, no matter what the cost to himself.

The boy's name was Link.


	2. Broken Mask

Disclaimer: I do not own Legend of Zelda. There aren't any OC's in this story for me to own, either, so I'm really screwed. But I do own my idea...I think. A lot of other people has done this "Link meet Link" idea before, unfortunately. Yeesh. At least I own...hrm...the games?

* * *

Link was staring at his own face, yet it wasn't his face. His bangs tended to part in the middle and his reflection showed his hair parted on the right. But...that was just stating the obvious. His eyes were usually cool and calm, and the blue ones he faced in the mirror were spitfire, excited and...wild, almost. But it was still his face, his nose, his ears, his mouth. Curiously, the reflection was only seven, and the mirror was a small square propped up against a wall in a dark basement. A basement that he knew had a ladder leading up to a homey treehouse-like hut that was his home--what? Link didn't live in a house, he normally camped out in Hyrule Field if he had to sleep.

The scene shifted so smoothly he barely noticed it until the transition was over, and he was fumbling with the knotted ropes that should be reins for a horse. A tanned man he somehow knew to be named Fado was shaking his head and laughing, "Nah, I said _in_ the mouth! She's supposed to bite it!" Link looked doubtfully at the young mare that stood before him, having never known this...of course he knew this! He used to have his own horse! Still his body acted as if he didn't know, and Fado chuckled some more. "It won't hurt her, now will it, Epona? Now hurry up, so I can teach y'all how to ride. Honestly, trying to ride a horse at only eight! I didn't start until I was thirteen, boy!"

A memory? But if this was a memory, why did they call him Link, and why was his face the same? The reflection was younger, of course, and there were those differences in the hair and eyes, but the features were still the same. Was the owner of these memories named Link as well, with an identical face? How could that be possible? Oh, and one more thing--how did he know the owner of the memories was named Link? They hadn't called him by name yet!

Then he was training with a man named Rusl, sparring with practice sticks in a rustic village he recognized...although he had never been there before. Rusl easily parried each of Link's clumsy thrusts with only one hand, his smile widening with each _clack_ of the sticks, and Link felt irritation at himself for losing. The sword strokes grew wilder, his breath was raspy with exhaustion and dehydration, and Rusl easily disarmed him with a flick of his wrist. With the flat of the practice sword, he roughly knocked Link upside the head, and Link crumpled to the ground.

"You've still got a long way to go, Link. But...I shouldn't expect much from an eight-year-old child, should I?" Rusl turned away, shaking his head, and Link mentally vowed that one day, he would surpass his mentor. But this man wasn't his mentor! He was already good enough to surpass this man! These thoughts from the owner of the memories were interfering with his own.

The scene changed, and Link was sitting at a spring with a girl his age watching her blowing into a piece of grass. Her round face was red with lack of air, frustration, and embarrassment. "Link, how in Hyrule do you _do_ that? Get actual sounds out of this...this thing?" He shrugged, grinning wickedly at her failure. Ilia smacked him lightly at his smug expression. Thoughts blew through his mind, screaming of how he didn't act this way, he wasn't supposed to know who this girl was, and that he didn't know of any springs that looked like this in Hyrule. At the same time, he couldn't help thinking that he had always enjoyed lightly teasing a friend, that this girl was Ilia and she was his dear childhood friend, and that of _course_ there was a spring in Hyrule. There was one right by his home village. His body continued to move on its own, the movements already planned out for him, leaving his actions beyond his control.

"You're a weird kid, my dad says," Ilia sighed, setting down the mangled plant, limp from her blowing into it repeatedly. "I thought he was just talkin' 'bout how you can whistle a pretty tune on some funny-shaped grass, but he says that there's more than just that. He says 'tain't natural for a kid who's only ten to be able to ride a horse like you can. You're ain't the best in the village yet, but you're already pretty damn close for your age, 'ccording to him. He says that normal kids should talk back to adults instead of being so polite all the time. That they shouldn't try to take the blame for other people when they get into trouble. And when kids go around getting into all sorts of trouble like you do, apparently, they're supposed to run away when people try to punish them. Then he says that kids shouldn't be able to fight with a sword like that. And your birthmark..." She trailed away, and Link didn't say anything to restart the conversation.

Ilia met his eyes and blushed slightly, looking away while pushing the sand on the ground into little shapes with her finger. "Uh, don't tell him I said these things to you, 'kay? He might get mad. And for the record, I don't think you're weird at all. Maybe you're just a natural at these kinds of things. Maybe you got some sort of special skills from a long-lost relative or something. You know, right? So what if you've got an odd birthmark on your hand? That doesn't prove anything!"

They glanced at Link's left hand in unison, where the golden mark of three triangles shimmered slightly. Part of him puzzled over the shape, and the other part knew exactly what the mark signified: this person, who was named Link and had the same face, had a piece of the Triforce. Most likely the Triforce of Courage. And since she had described it as a birthmark, this "Link" had been given the power since birth, meaning he was someday destined to use it...as a Hero.

Suddenly, he was watching a boy five, six years younger than him. "It's okay, Link, I'm fine," Colin whispered to the ground, shamefaced. Link pressed his lips together in frustration and knelt in front of him, facing the small child. "It's not their fault that Talo picks on me like that. I should just be stronger, like my dad says. He says that even though you're twelve, you're stronger than most of the soldiers in Hyrule. Braver 'nd stuff. S-So I'll be a-alright." His puppy eyes were covered with a thick layer of tears that contradicted his last few words, and Link quickly wrapped his arms around the tiny boy to comfort him. "Thanks, Link..."

Colin vanished, Epona soared over the fence, Link threw his hands up in the air in the exhilarating moment of weightlessness, and Fado whooped from the shade of the stables. Ilia abruptly popped out from behind the ranch gate, yelling, "I saw that! You two really are jumping fences after dark! I swear, you're going to hurt Epona that way!" and Link guiltily pulled Epona to a stop as she stormed over, ready to grab his pointed ears and give him an earful of lecture on horse care. She shook her finger in his face as he got off Epona, hanging his head. "And father doesn't even try to stop you! He's just as bad!"

Link silently marveled at the change that had happened over the past four years, it seemed, because she looked to be about fourteen now. She had been scared of her fathers wrath before, and now it looked like her father would be scared of _her_ wrath. And then Link wondered, what change? She had changed so slowly over the past four years he hadn't realized, having seen it occur gradually every day in the daily life of the village.

"Well...I guess you win..." Link was bent over, breathing hard. Even through his exhaustion, he stared from Rusl's practice sword on the ground and his own still held loosely in his hand. Rusl was standing lightly crooked, panting, but he wasn't in a bad of a condition as Link was. Seconds before, in a last burst of combined skill and luck, Link had actually disarmed the senior swordsman, meaning he had finally beaten Rusl for the first time. Link let the handle slip from his hand just before he fell over, unable to stand. He was surprised that he had held out so long against his teacher, though--and then he reminded himself that he should be able to easily conquer this swordsman. The person with his face and the hair parted on their right, "Link," wasn't good enough to do that, though.

Rusl snorted as Link groaned on the dirty ground. "You fall over...right after you win?" The sentences were choppy, filled with pauses in Rusl's weariness. "You can't...do that!" Link grinned wearily, but didn't have the energy to even try to move in any other way. "What a difference from six...years ago, eh? Seems like only yesterday...I fought a child only eight...and here I am facing him again, fourteen and nearly grown!" Link felt sorrow rush over him at the mention of growing up, for some reason...

The swords disappeared, and he was no longer lying bruised and battered on the earth. Rusl and Link were sitting in the spring, a different one this time. Rusl gazed off into the distance, expression mildly humored as always, and said lightly, "Tell me... Do you ever feel a strange sadness as dusk falls? They say it's the only time when our world intersects with theirs... The only time we can feel the lingering regrets of spirits who have left our world."

This Rusl was different from the one that Link knew. To him, Rusl was normally a calm man who preferred a casual atmosphere over an intense setting. Wait, he didn't know this information on Rusl's personality! Link had only ever seen this man in the memories, yet he felt as if he had known this man forever. Rusl sighed, "That is why loneliness always pervades the hour of twilight..."

Mayor Bo had his arm around Link, and was informing him, "The royal gift Rusl told you about is ready, so you should get ready for your trip to Hyrule Castle. Now, the royal family requested this gift specifically, so it's real special. It'd be...bad...if the representative of Ordon were to be late for such an occasion, you get me, lad?"

He was a representative of Ordon? He knew that he lived in Ordon, he was a ranch hand, he was finally going out to see Hyrule, the world he had never even glimpsed before, but...wasn't he the Hero of Time? Or used to be, before he was sent back to have a childhood? Wasn't he a traveling swordsman who continued to carry out his duty to Hyrule? Hadn't he already crawled into every nook and cranny of Hyrule, discovering all of its secrets? Link was beginning to lose himself to this person's perspective, it seemed, and roughly tried to remind himself of who he was. The eyes he saw through blinked in affirmation, completely on their own accord.

The scene shifted, and Illia closed her eyes, smiling slightly as she said, "Can you at least promise me this? No matter what happens on your journey, don't try to do anything...out of your league. Please." Her emerald eyes sparkled with tenderness she rarely showed anymore. "Just come home safely." And Link nodded with a reassuring smile.

Everything else rushed into his head, all the temples, the demolished Kakariko, the sages chorusing, "O Twilight Princess," and Midna lowering her eyes to confirm the unbelievable fact, the veil of twilight, Zant, the Mirror of Twilight, Midna searching his eyes with her hand on his cheek, the Sky Cannon, Zelda vanishing, a Light Spirit telling him he was a reincarnation of the Hero of Time, Impaz, the Yetis, the golden barrier around the castle, children being kidnapped, wolf form, frozen Zora's, everything important, everything irrelevant, and everything in between. In a split second, he learned where the sages had sealed Ganondorf to and that his archenemy had broken out. In the same second, he found the girl Hena at the fishing hole was a flirt and that she had both a sister and a brother. It was all just piling into his head, and the pieces of information found their niches in his mind as if these were his own memories, like he had known this all along. Perhaps he had. All was explained in the rush of past events that randomly flowed, but organized like the currents of the ocean at the same time.

The very last thing he saw was a cyclone that towered over him, dragging him closer with a force so strong that even his Iron Boots could not resist, and the very last thing he felt was his strength waning. The very last thing he emotion he sensed was doubt, but why, he didn't understand. Did becoming the true Hero by fighting and possibly winning against Ganondorf, the Dark Lord, upset this "Link" so much?

His mind forced itself awake at the sight of the whirlwind, and he snapped his eyes open to face a sky and world he did not recognize.

* * *

Link's eyes snapped open, and he stared at the unfamiliar sky. All the things he had seen just moments before...were they real? All those images he assumed were memories of the Hero of Time, showing the Kokiri Forest, Mido and Saria, the Great Deku Tree, the endless teasing? Mido mocking, "Fairy-less!" over and over, and the young to-be Hero sitting silently through it all? Navi, the Ocarina of Time, the sages, Zelda, Sheik, the whole bit? Sleeping for seven years as the world died around him, then waking to find a demolished land he was destined to save? That was the Hero of Time's tale, the Hero who was actually named Link as he was? Ordona would have been speaking truth, then, by saying his legend had been lost by time...He felt as if he had known the Hero of Time forever, having seen his entire life's story, but that didn't change his opinion of him. Oh no, Link refused to let these memories interfere with that.

To Link, the Hero of Time would always be the person who failed to kill Ganondorf properly and created this stupid idea that there should be Heroes to protect Hyrule.

Rubbing his head, he began to sit up until he spotted Midna curled up on his arm. After a moment of staring, he eased his arm out from under her and then groaned, stretching his back and trying to get all the bruises to shut up. They tended to ache whenever he had just woken up.

Only then he did he realize that another sat across from him, wearing a tunic just like his, scratching a head full of hair just like his, blinking dazed eyes on a face _just like his. _All lingering traces of sleep vanished, and he stared without shame. The person in front of him hadn't fully started up his brain, anyway. First all the memories, and now this? Some sort of doppelganger?

"Hey! Who are you?" a high voice screeched in his ear. He jerked backwards, clapping his hand over the side the voice had come from. "Yeah, you! I'm talking to ya!" Glaring at it, he tried to swat at the noisy blue light, but it flitted away before he could get it. "Link! He attacked me!" Link was confused, and froze where he was. Who was she talking about? His name was Link, but it sounded like she was talking to somebody else. She couldn't have been talking to Mr. Identical over there, could she? And if he looked like him, even had the same name, and there was a fairy here, according to the memories that he had seen just moments ago, that would mean that he was--

Midna snarled in her sleep and the blue sphere hovered by her ear. The blue thing buzzed, "Hey! Listen, I said! Who are you? I've never seen anything like you before!" Midna growled again, shoulders twitching. "Wakeupwakeupwakeup--"

The imp shot upright, surprising the fairy, then flew at the whatever-it-was and snatched it from the air. "Shut up! Oh goddesses, you're so damn annoying!" Midna held up wings for Link to see, her face losing its fierceness and naughty curiosity seeping into her expression. "Well, lookie here, it's a fairy."

"Leggo! Let! Go! Of! Me! Liiiiiiiink! Don't just sit there! Help me!" Link raised an eyebrow. Why should he help her? Oh, that's right, she could be talking to--

"Navi, don't you think there's more important things going on here than somebody trying to pull your wings off?" Link whipped his head back at the person with his face, and they made eye contact. They both stiffened, and the person's eyes narrowed. Nobody moved, nobody breathed, nobody dared to break the tension. A breeze ruffled their hair, and still nothing. Finally: "...Is...your name Link as well?"

"...Yeah."

"I see...your name is Link, you're a ranch hand, you have a childhood friend named Ilia, and you lived in the Ordon Province, yes? The Hero Chosen by the Goddesses? Interesting things I saw when I was unconscious..."

Link didn't bother to answer the question, considering the tone had been more of a statement than inquiry. "Your name is Link, you're a Hylian raised as a Kokiri, you have a childhood friend named Saria, and you live on the go. I saw it all while I was out, and I'm assuming the same goes for you." The person nodded, and his eyes showed slight realization. "So are you...the Hero of Time?" To make sure he was right. He could feel his polite exterior beginning to break, that quiet personality he had created for the destiny of Hero threatening to crack.

The person first continued to study Link, then looked at Midna and the fairy called Navi. Link followed his gaze, more on accident than anything else. Midna was suspended in the air holding Navi by the wing, and both were watching the two Hylians carefully. Both seemed confused at the similarities and the information being exchanged, but loathe to intrude in on their "conversation." He couldn't see Navi's face, but Midna knew quite well what the Hero of Time meant to Link, and her face held thinly-veiled concern. The person finally nodded slowly, confirming that he was, indeed, the Hero of Time. "How curio--" But he never got a chance to finish his sentence, because at that moment Link's fist planted itself in his face.

The other Link stumbled backwards, holding his nose, which was twisted in a sickening angle and looked thoroughly broken. It felt extremely weird to cause such damage to a replica of his own face. "What was that for?!" the other Link yelled, but his tone wasn't accusing, merely shocked. His eyes were confused and surprised, and he didn't seem to mind the injury at all; he only seemed concerned with the reason. Link felt more anger well up inside him at his tone, how dare he talk this way to him, with not a trace of anger? Link felt like punching him again...so he did. Just like he had before he began to play the Hero, before he had all these worries and responsibilities dumped on him: what he wanted to do, he would do, without a thought for the consequences.

As the other Link's head snapped back again, Midna hissed, "Okay. Do you really have to do that?!"

"Yes," he replied, voice trembling with rage. His tone spoke for itself, explaining far more to Midna than the single word answer, and Midna's eyes widened until yellow showed all around her iris's as she realized immediately exactly how much she had underestimated Link's hatred for the Hero of Time. She mouthed a silent "oh" and settle back in an imaginary chair, crossing her legs to sit more comfortably in the air.

"Payback for _what_?" Navi shrieked. "You've only just met him!" She flapped her free wings uselessly, trying to break away from Midna's grip.

"Nuh-uh, Twinkles, you can stay right here," Midna scoffed, shaking the fairy viciously. Navi squeaked, struggling harder.

Link looked at the bloody spots on his knuckles, dull against the brown leather gauntlets. He spat, "Aren't you going to fight back? Going to take it lying down?"

"I don't have a reason to fight." The person before him still didn't rise to the challenge, his blue eyes remained collected and calm, and it seemed nothing would shake his cool. And all it did was infuriate Link.

Link shouted, "I gave you one in the face, goddessdammit! That's reason enough!" Navi bobbed up and down frantically in agreement, still restricted by Midna's pinch. "Even that annoying fairy of yours agrees with me!"

"I'll consider retaliating, after you tell me what was that for," the other Link demanded, ignoring his own messed-up face and staring into Link's eyes. Link couldn't believe it. He really wasn't going to retaliate in any way, leaving Link feeling like an idiot. There was still so much rage inside, but he couldn't attack for some reason...because the other Link wouldn't defend himself? Why did he get the feeling that this Link already knew that to meet rage with such a level attitude would end the conflict like this, with the attacker feeling so stupid? That he already knew that this was the perfect way to diffuse the situation? Maybe he did know. After all, Link had seen this person deal with bullies over and over, bullies that cried "Fairy-less!" throughout all of his lonely childhood. That would make this calmness a retaliation, just not physical. It was an emotion retaliation, refusing to rise to the bait and embarrassing the attacker at the same time.

"Figure it out on your own. And don't pretend you didn't hear Faron in the memories; I know you saw them! You're the one who stuck me in this position!" was all he replied, a vehement, bitter edge to his words. "Stinkin' wuss."

"At least I don't have temper issues. At least I can think clearly, without letting emotions get in the way." The voice wasn't insulting, merely stating facts.

Midna smirked at that one. "He's got a point. Don't think I've ever seen you let your emotions show this much since I first saw you in that sewer cell. Heh, you've really let yourself go, Link."

"Who's side are you on!?"

"Link's side."

"Way to be specific," he shot back.

She merely shrugged while giggling her eerie, knowing laugh. "Eee hee hee!" Glowering at her for a second, he pointedly kept his gaze away from the other Link. It only occurred to him then that Midna had little to no idea what was going on, but was hiding it so well he hadn't realized. It only made him feel guiltier for losing his head like that.

The other Link was still trying to figure it out, apprently. He had his hand on his head, completely disregarding his broken nose. "What do you mean, hear Faron? Of course I heard Faron...but what's wrong with being my reincarnation? What's wrong with being destined to save Hyrule?"

The fury flared up again. "Everything," Link hissed. His tone didn't allow any more questions, although his response had only brought up more.

He walked away hurriedly, desperate to put distance between him and the other Link and his unnerving attitude, and he nearly went straight over the cliff. Teetering for a moment on the edge, Link finally got his balance and was forced to eye the surroundings for the first time. They seemed to be on the top of some sort of miniature mountain that overlooked a small village, consisting of only three or four houses and a watchtower. A few boats were lying on the beach, and one looked like it had been remodeled into a sailboat. Nearby there was a rope bridge leading to a cave that had a few planks missing. A sign nearby said something about a Fairy Fountain, and there was plenty of thick grass around. Other than that, nothing worth noting.

Correction: there was something worth noting. Something so big and obvious that he had almost missed it. _They were on an island._ One of the most obvious facts, but one of the most shocking. There were no islands of this size anywhere near Hyrule that Link knew of.

"Curious, isn't it? I can see you've come to the same conclusion as me. We're not in Hyrule, but in a place we've never seen before." The other Link dug around under his shield while he spoke, and pulled out a bottle with a captured fairy in it. Ripping the cork out, the fairy dutifully zipped around the Hero before vanishing, evidently fixing his nose. He tested it gingerly with his finger. "Mmm...it's still tender, but at least I'll be able to breathe properly. I wouldn't want it to set that way; it might cause problems later..." He was trying to be nonchalant, but no matter how good of an actor the other Link was, nothing would cover up the sudden paleness in his face and tremble in his voice. Was he scared at the sight of this new land? No, that wasn't it. Link might hate the Hero of Time, but Link at least admitted that the ancient Hero wasn't a coward. From what he had seen in the memories, the other Link welcomed adventure with open arms, just as Link did. What was it, then, that could get under his skin like a flattened nose couldn't?

"All I want to know," Link said firmly, jaw clenched, keeping his eyes locked on a point in front of him, "is where in hell are we. And then get out." He probably wouldn't want to get out so badly if the person standing next to him wasn't there, but he was.

"Hey! Try the cave over there, see what you can find! Across the bridge!" Navi shouted. "And let me _go_ already!"

Midna sighed, "Alright, Twinkles, don't get your wings in a knot...but I already did that for you, didn't I?" Chuckling darkly, she released the fairy and brushed her hands off. Navi wobbled in the air, still straightening out her wings, before flying hurriedly back to the safety of the other Link's shoulder.

"I suppose you have a point, Navi." The other Link watched the village below for a minute, then suddenly appeared restless, shifting from one foot from the other, scratching his ears, casting his gaze anywhere but the village. Something was making him squirm, and Link would be delighted if he could know what. "I'm following Navi's advice. You can come with me if you want."

Link glared at him, but his fury at the other Link was already dying without reaction to keep it alive. Such calmness was hard to stay extremely angry at, like trying to grip a glass wall. One's hands simply slid off, no matter how hard one tried. Sure, he would always hate the bastards' guts, but he just wouldn't be able to express it because of that attitude. It wasn't exactly logical, but then again, emotions were never logical. Midna's eyes darted between Link and the retreating figure, already well across the ravine, and rolled her eyes. "Swallow your pride for once and follow him. What else are you going to do?"

Link gnashed his teeth together, searching his mind for a snippy retort, but turned up empty. In the end, he just growled and sprinted easily over the wobbling bridge to catch up, ignoring Midna's high giggle.

* * *

Midna giggled teasingly as she drifted after him, smirking to herself. She knew that she painted a pretty creepy picture with her one long fang glinting in the afternoon sun and red slanted eyes, and her mind flashed back to how the counselors in the Twilight Realm always gave her those disapproving glares whenever she grinned evilly like that. So she let the smile grow to it's fullest, relishing how there weren't any old farts here to tell her to be lady-like.

No Ganondorf to kill, no kingdom to rule, no people to please and no destiny to fulfill for both of them. Link seemed to view being stuck on a mysterious island with the Hero of Time a horrible thing, but to Midna, this was the closest she would get to an escape. She didn't know how they got there, why there were there, or what the Hero of Time was doing here with them, but as long as they were away from those things they both wanted relief from, she didn't particularly care where they were.

* * *

TP Link is a bit of an ass. Sorry. That's just the way his character set-up was designed. But if TP Link is an ass, then so is OoT Link is in a way...I sure wouldn't call him an angel, or say that he doesn't have his issues. And I can't say WW Link is perfect, either. They're my little squad of messed-up Heroes, okay?

I'm not favoring TP Link or anything, just that OoT Link's childhood is a lot easier for me to summarize. In case you're wondering why I gave TP Link so much more character development. OoT Link comes later, okay?

And...I don't really like this chapter. Just saying. Something about it...isn't very interesting to me. I've edited this until I can practically recite it in my sleep (okay, maybe that was an exaggeration, but you get the idea), and still...nope. I don't like it.

Thanks to all the people who reviewed!


	3. Childish

"Someday, you'll take me all over the Great Sea, right, Big Brother?" Aryll begged. They both instinctively ducked as the boom swept over their heads, refusing to make up its mind on which side of the boat it wanted to stay on. Being in irons tended to do that to the boom.

Link tugged on the mainsheet, trying to secure the pesky boom, then nodded. "'Course. But only when you're older, okay?"

"Okay, so please, please go farther! We don't have to turn around yet!" Aryll pointed back towards Outset, bouncing up and down on her seat. "You can read Sea Charts and everything, so we won't get lost! I saw Uncle Sturgeon teaching you how!"

"I don't have their map, though. And even if we did, Grandma said no. We can't," he stated firmly, trying to convince her to stop before she pressured him any more. He was a pushover when it came to sailing out farther from the island than they should, partly because he longed to keep going until he couldn't see the island any more, and then even farther than that. "This is the farthest we'll go..." His voice lacked conviction.

"But you know you want to! And you know that I know that you know that you want to!" Link snorted and smiled, even though he was trying hard not to. Aryll saw the smile and all but capsized the boat with her hopping. "See! I was right! Pleeeease?" She clasped her hands together and gave him the puppy-dog look.

Biting his lip, he looked from the island, the open sea, his sister, and repeat. She wanted to, he wanted to, doing so would put her at risk, the waves were calling him, Grandma would be worried sick, Aryll was so eager, the waves were calling him, Orca would be angry if he found out they had stolen his boat, somebody would find out they were gone if they didn't go back soon, the waves were _calling_ him--

Link shook his head, more to stop his thoughts than anything else. "No. We might get lost, and you'll be scared."

Aryll pouted. "You're good at sailing. Getting lost is impossible for Big Brother. And I've got my telescope, so I'll be able to see the island even if we're far away! Gogogo!" She waved her arms excitedly at the last part.

"Hey! I told you not to bring the telescope! You might let go of it and it'll fall in the water, and then what?"

"Too late now." She stuck out her tongue, but Link could see from the way her eyes darted briefly to the right that she felt he had a point. Therefore, she changed tactics. "Come on! Tomorrow's your birthday, so I'd bet they'd let you get away with anything!" He seriously doubted that, and he simply sat back in his seat. Something was bothering Aryll, and Link wasn't going to force it out of her, because she always tended to clam up if she didn't want to say it. She would say it in her own time, just not now, he assumed. But instead, she squeezed her eyes shut and shouted the tacitly tabooed subject:

"And...and...tomorrow you'll be a grown-up!"

They stared at each other, Link's eyes wide, the only sound being the sail flapping loosely and the waves slapping the hull.

"So...please, Big Brother...because tomorrow you'll be as good as gone..." Aryll wasn't a child who cried, but her eyes had become shadowed with regret. She looked down, her tiny pigtails hanging limply at her shoulders. All her energy gone, the only movement was the luffing sail and the rock of the boat as it drifted over the waves. Link was paralyzed at the up-front address to the topic. If it came to his eleventh birthday, they only talked about the celebrations, and never the fact that Link would be considered a man, a proper adult. "You'll be a grown-up, and you'll have duties to the village, and you'll have to learn to fish and take care of the island, and you'll have no more time to play with me..."

No time for his sister? As much as he hated it, she spoke truth...

Seeing her so down was shocking, it contrasted so sharply with her usual upbeat attitude, and Link was momentarily speechless. Aryll continued, her voice soft, "And you'll be miserable, I know it, because you won't be able to do what you want..."

Was there nothing able to hide from his sister and her telescope? She really did know him so well...

"Okay! You win!" He threw up his hands, accidentally letting go of the mainsheet, and the boom landed a score right on his forehead. Aryll giggled, snapping out of her mood as he groaned and rubbed the bruise. "But you're going to have to help me hike. No slacking off on my boat."

She cheered, wiggling a little dance in her seat. Link laughed and mussed up her bangs, then faced the open sea. Even if he was still bound to Outset Island, even if he couldn't sail as far as he wanted, even if he still had to care for his sister, even if tomorrow his life would end, he could still feel the spray of the sea and forget that.

* * *

"Agh! Damn bokoblin!" the other Link growled, throwing another rock at the monster. The aim had been dead on, yet the stone altered it's own course in mid-flight, missing the head by inches. The imp named Midna stuck out her tongue at it, hovering right in it's face, but it didn't move.

Link sighed, and sheathed his sword. "Navi, do you get what's going on?"

"Does it look like I know? I would have told you long time ago if I did!" This was a rather odd situation, in retrospect. Navi knew the answers to pretty much anything, yet here, she was just as confused as he.

The other Link was poking the Master Sword at the bokoblins' pig snout, and Link's eyebrow shot up at the sight of the purple hilt. The styles on the swords were the same, but the hilt colors were different... How odd. "Move, already! I'm gonna spit your head on this sword if you don't!" The monster didn't even blink. So the blade went clear through the bokoblins' head, and it still didn't move, just continued to sniff the air. The other Link growled, "What're we, ghosts or something?"

"I don't know," Link muttered, half to himself and half to the other Link. "They can't see us, hear us, and we can't touch them in any way..." Just for the heck of it, he waved his arm through the bokoblins' stomach, and watched with curiosity as it passed through as if nothing was there. He couldn't feel the bokoblin, either, even though his arm was right inside the monster.

"Alright, I've tried Clawshots, arrows, Ball and Chain, so now..." The other Link pulled out a bomb with a triumphant smirk. "Let's see you dodge this, pig!" He lit it and hurled it at the stationary bokoblin. Not surprisingly, the bomb changed its course as the rock had and all his other projectiles before it, exploding a safe distance away. When the smoke cleared, the explosion hadn't even charred the grass.

"What kind of heroes are we, then? We can't even kill the things!" The other Link stopped at what he had said, and a slight smile began to form on his face. "...If we can't kill them, then we're obviously not supposed to be the ones playing Hero, right? It's not our job anymore, yeah?"

"I suppose..." Link responded absently. Link's head was still trying to sort through what was possible and what wasn't. So far, nothing was possible. "Let's go. Maybe we should check out the village." Perhaps in the village, they could find a clue to getting back to their respective time periods in Hyrule, and the other Link could finish Ganondorf and Link could return to his spot on the rooftops. Anxiousness was building inside him, thrumming against his ribcage with each heartbeat, and he knew he would never be able to rest until he had gone back to Zelda and Hyrule. He didn't want to repeat Termina again, having to save Termina because he couldn't stand letting people suffer when he could help and getting caught up in affairs that tied him to that world when all he wanted to was to return to his own.

But was Navi right to call him obsessed? Hyrule needed him, sure...or did he need Hyrule?

"Fine. Sounds like a plan. To the village we go."

Midna coughed dryly to catch their attention, then drawled, "You can't go around like that. Look at both of you! You're identical! Really, we could pass you off a twins and this wouldn't be a problem if one weren't so obviously a year younger than the other. It's fishy, no matter how you look at it, and it'll attract attention." Link nodded, seeing sense in the Twili's words.

Navi screeched, "I don't trust you! Listen, I don't know what you are, but you're obviously a big meanie--"

"Can it, Twinkles."

Link patted Navi's head. "Navi, I know who and what she is. I'll explain later. Trust me for now."

Navi huffed and puffed with indignation, and shot back, "Well, what're you saying? We can't go changing one guy's face like people change clothes!"

"Actually, I still have those masks from Termina. Although I wouldn't exactly want to spend a huge amount of time wearing those things."

"Whatever you guys are talking about, it doesn't concern me," Midna interrupted. "Just both of you get a change of clothes so you guys don't look like creepy cosplayers and cover your face. Covering the face is easy, though. It's the clothes issue that's bothering me."

"How Sheik did it would work," the other Link mused, finally ceasing his useless attacks on the stationary bokoblin and turning his attention to the conversation.

Link nodded, knowing what he was talking about. Midna gave both Links an eyebrow that said, "Who's Sheik? Why do both of you know so much about the other?" Although she didn't say anything, deciding to hold her tongue.

Navi had no such restraints. "How come he knows who Shei--" but Link waved his hand, signaling her that he would explain that too, eventually.

"Your Zora Armor has a mask-like thing, so that's a bonus, but you don't like to wear that thing when you're not swimming, right? Y'said something about feeling slimy." The other Link shuddered, probably remembering the feel, as the bokoblin yawned widely. The other Link irritably tried to shove it, and Midna snickered as he stumbled, going right through. From his face, this lack of effect on the enemies wasn't helping his mood. Midna continued, "We could use the Magic Armor, but that would only make you go even more broke than you already are," Link snorted at that, "and make you look like an idiot. And there's no mask included—"

"Like I said, lets just take some sort of cloth and cover the bottom half of our face!"

"And I already said that I'm not concerned with that! I'm trying to figure out what to do with your green clothes, half-brained wolf-boy! Having one person looking like he has a freaky obsession with green is bad enough, and now we've got two!" Both Links bristled at the "freaky obsession with green" part.

The other Link shot back defensively, "It's not my fault I have to wear this stuff. Not that I mind it, but seriously! But pin the blame on him, he's the one who started it all!"

"You've got chain mail, and he doesn't. He's got a collar thing, you don't. Therefore, you're different. Somewhat. And because of that, I get to blame you." Midna examined her nails.

The other Link opened his mouth, probably to say something about how that didn't make sense because it didn't, when, "He has _chain mail_?" Navi shouted. "That's not fair! If my Link had chain mail, that would make my life so much easier!"

"Nobody asked you, Twinkles."

"Listen, stop telling me to shut it!"

"Stop being annoying and I'll stop telling you to shut it."

Link sighed, watching the other Link lose interest and return back to poking the bokoblin. "This entire conversation just took a very...nonsensical and childish turn. But Midna has a point. Let's just hurry up and find a change of clothes."

"Thank you!" Midna cried mockingly. "Seriously, all this green is hurting my eyes!"

She was insulting the Kokiri clothes, causing Link to narrow his eyes and decide that he would prefer Navi over the imp any day, Twilight Princess or no. And besides, the other Link seemed like to dislike Navi just as much as Link disliked Midna, so it was even. Somewhat.

So far, one Link had punched the other, Midna had nearly ripped Navi's wings off, Navi had practically declared war on Midna, and Midna had insulted the Kokiri tunic. They were off to a wonderful start.

* * *

"What were you thinking?" Grandma shook her head, wringing her hands. Link peeked at Aryll, and they and nearly broke out in laughter. There was nothing funny about worrying their grandma to death, but just something about how they would sneak glances at each other seemed hilarious for some reason. Grandma began pacing, hobbling up and down their house, and Link and Aryll's mirth got sucked right out of them. If she was pacing, this was serious.

"Link!" Link flinched at her anxious tone. "What would have happened if you two got lost? You're the older one, you should know! And what about Aryll? You're supposed to protect her! I've told you that over and over, and still..."

"'m sorry, Grandma," he mumbled, letting his head droop. She was absolutely right; what had he been thinking? Not only that, tomorrow would be his birthday, the day he would be entering "manhood," and he still was making stupid mistakes like this! He couldn't let the sea get in the way of his judgement. Whether he liked it or not, the time to grow up was drawing nearer with every second, and he would have to for Aryll's sake.

Grandma huffed, attempting to put on an angry face, but it turned out to be just an even more worried look. There was a moment of silence where she tapped her foot on the floorboards, apparently trying to think of something else to say. "Who's idea was this?"

The siblings glanced at each other again, knowing what the other was thinking. It was Aryll who suggested to hijack Orca's boat that had been lying abandoned on the beach for so long and fool around. And not only that, it had even been Aryll's idea to go farther than Grandma allowed at any time, permission from Orca on the boat issue or no. Grandma's face turned to exasperation, and the children knew that she could already hear what was coming. "I'll repeat: who's idea was this?"

A silent war began between them as they communicated with their eyes, Aryll begging, Link refusing, Aryll demanding, Link still refusing. Finally, when they could come to no conclusion, they both tried to beat the other to the punch. The siblings declared, accidentally in perfect unision, "Mine."

"It was mine, Grandma! Really! Big Brother had nothing to do with this!" Aryll pleaded. "I made him do it!" That was stretching the truth a bit; after all, he was the one who had whole-heartedly agreed to it.

Link cut her off, "Grandma, I'm the one who thought of it. I dragged Aryll into it." That was more than a stretch. That was a flat-out lie, and it was obvious the elderly grandma could tell. He wasn't a particularly good liar, and had always opted to stay with the truth unless Aryll had something to do with it. He did all sorts of crazy things if Aryll was involved.

* * *

Grandma sighed, shaking her head, and studied the children. Some adults might get angry, assuming that this was some sort of prank to confuse the adult, but she knew better. They honestly wanted the other to get less of a punishment. That would have touched many people's hearts, causing them to decide against a scolding, but since this happened nearly every time Link and Aryll ended up in trouble together the old woman was used to it. Curiously enough, Link and Aryll only got into mischief together when it concerned either sailing too far from the island, taking Orca's boat without his say-so, or filching sea maps from Sturgeon. The only other ruckus from either one of her charges would be Aryll working solo, and Link attempting to bail her out. Usually by claiming he was the one who did it, which fooled no one.

"You're both to stay here for the rest of the day while I go back to Aunty Rose's house," she sighed finally. It was the best she could do. They both nodded, eyes suddenly glowing. The grandmother realized with a start that if they were cooped up in a house together without anybody to watch them, they would do nothing but play and chat, activities they could do without ever getting tired until they both plopped over dead from old age. She needed somebody to watch them...

Orca was out, because he was too busy training. And if Link was anywhere near his house, he would only try and teach Link some sword techniques, something she heartily disapproved of. She was going to Rose's house to work on the outfit, and she didn't want Link to see the clothes and ruin the surprise, so bringing him with her was obviously not an option. Rose's husband might be able to, but he was already watching Joel and Zill, and she didn't want to hand him two more rascals to take care of. Perhaps Mesa would watch them...no, he was busy trying to cut his grass. And when he actually wanted to cut his grass instead of slacking off, nobody dared to disturb him, because he might never get the drive to work again.

She was left with no options other than to let them stay in the house by themselves, and Link and Aryll, from their excited faces, both were beginning to realize that.

"No talking, y'hear me? Or playing." The two both nodded hastily, still standing in the same spots like statues. Grandma sighed again and hauled her creaking bones through the door, then closed and locked it.

* * *

Link and Aryll jumped to life and scurried to the door, cracking it open just a bit to watch their Grandma laugh with the ever-energetic Rose as they walked up the hill to Rose's house together. As he watched, he remembered that this was the last day he would get as a child. What better way to spend it than with Aryll?

After a few heartbeats of waiting, Aryll exclaimed, "I'm the Hero of Time! Dun, dun DUUUNNN!" She seized a nearby blanket and whipped it through the air like a floppy sword.

Link bounded onto the bed, striking a pose and puffing himself up, trying to look his part. "I'm the evil...er...." Neither child knew the evil's name, because in the stories, whoever the storyteller happened to be only called it "the evil." So they made a new one up every time, mostly on spur of the moment. So what name should he choose now? He searched his imagination for something original, something new to surprise Aryll with...

He yelled, "The evil Ganondorf!"

Aryll wrinkled her nose, pausing in her theatrics. "What kind of name is that?"

Following his sister and stepping completely out of character, Link shrugged offhandedly. He didn't really know where that name had come from. Then he bellowed, "I'm evil! Don't make fun of my name or I'll kill you!" He roared out some growl, trying to look ferocious.

His sister giggled, then waved her blanket. "Die, Mista Ganondorf!" Link ducked as Aryll flung the blanket in his face. They seized long wooden spoons and, holding them like swords, began to fight. Link could slip under her guard in seconds, her form was so horrible, but he didn't and only blocked her swings. The pretend swordfight went on, with much giggling and shouting, until he decided it was time for a change. As Aryll's spoon clacked into his, he let go of his weapon. She laughed, pointing at his fallen spoon. "Aha, evil Ganondorf! I've got you now!"

"No! I will not die! _You _die by my secret weapon!" he cried, grabbing a pillow, and Aryll tossed her spoon to the floor to seize her own. Feathers began to rain down on their heads, and they nearly collapsed laughing a few times but continued their pillow fight. And as the story went, the evil was supposed to be defeated, so Link let Aryll smack him a good one over the head.

"Ahh, I'm dying..." he moaned, staggering back. "Nooo...Hero of Time, I will take revenge!"

"But you're dead, Mista Ganondorf, you can't do that." Aryll was barely able to contain her smile, and she shook her head like a mother reprimanding her child. "It's against the laws of nature, y'know."

Link waved his arm limply, as if trying to come up with a comeback. "Then...I'll come back as a ghost and haunt your ancestors! Or something..."

Aryll laughed at the hilarity she had started, then easily pushed him over. He pretended to drop dead, sending up white tufts of feathers as he hit the floor, rolling his eyes up and sticking his tongue out. Aryll threw her pillow up in the air, stretching both arms up as she danced a little jig. "I win! Whoo-hoo! Let's do it again!" Link sat up, brushing feathers out of his hair and laughing along. Neither realized how close to the facts their words had been.

And so, together, they started the legend over again in their own private play.

They didn't know that tomorrow they really would begin the legend anew, with the whole world as their audience.


	4. Epilogue of a Legend

"Whaddya mean, you don't steal?" Midna demanded.

Link took a deep breath before responding, choosing his words carefully as to not alert the imp to his irritation. She was being excessively bossy, and if she thought she could order him around like she did with the other Link, she had another think coming. Certainly he wouldn't let his temper get the better of him like the other Link, but he wouldn't easily go along with what she said, either. "I...don't believe in stealing. We should ask, or--"

"You're the one who thought that the villagers won't be able to see us because that bokoblin didn't! So what's stoppin' ya? If you're right and nobody can see us, do you know how many thieves out there would kill to be us?"

"Then we should at least leave rupees for this person," he insisted. He had stolen before, but it had always been because it was absolutely necessary.

Navi perched herself on his shoulder. "Yeah! I don't care if you're some Twili or anything, you're horrible if you're going to just take this person's clothes!"

"He's fine! He won't miss them! Whoever this guy is, he's going the other side of the island leaving a door unlocked, off at some party, so he practically deserves to have stuff taken from him! Teach him a lesson! Nobody should be that trusting; it's just stupid!" Midna held out the shirt. "It's even pretty close to your size, just a little too big. So just take the damn stuff already!"

"And if we pay for it, then the person who lives here will know that somebody stole them. If we don't, then he might think he lost them." The other Link's voice still hadn't lost it's bitter edge even in this simple statement, sending Link into another brief moment of confusion. Why was this person so angry, and why wouldn't he just say what was wrong? No...hadn't he already told him flat out? Link already knew what was troubling the other Link, merely could not understand his mindset.

"Yeah. Hurry up and put it on, it's almost night. I've got some snooping around on my agenda I want to get rid of by tonight." Midna chucked the tunic at Link, and he half-heartedly caught it. "That's right, fairy-boy. Hey, wolf-boy and fairy-boy, you guys go well together..." Link suppressed a smile. Probably on complete accident, she had come up with the nickname that Malon had first called him by seven years ago.

Navi whispered, "Hey, Link, are we still going to leave rupees or what?" Link sighed heavily and shook his head. The other Link was right, unfortunately. "Ughh..." Navi groaned. She never liked to admit that she was wrong, and Link knew that.

The other Link actually had the cheek to choose his clothes, carefully lifting the neatly folded clothes to check what was underneath the piles. He slammed the drawer shut once he had inspected all the shirts, none too softly, and repeated the process on the second drawer. Link started to get the impression that he treated the clothes with such care only because they had all agreed that to stay out of sight for the moment was the best plan of action, and to mistreat them would alert the owner of the house that somebody had been in here. Midna set an arm casually on his shoulder, watching what he was doing from behind him.

"This island is more on the hot side, and I've had enough with this three-layer tunic crap, so I'm going with something light..."

The other Link ended up with a white shirt adorned with multiple green-and-brown stains, long sleeves stitched hap-hazardly onto the wide arm holes. It looked like a working shirt, used for outside activities that required getting dirty. Then the other Link went for the pants drawer, pulling out navy pants that looked purposely ripped at the knees, that too probably used by the owner for work due to the faded color and multiple rips. Why the other Link had chosen such worn clothes, Link didn't know. If he was going to put such effort into picking his clothes, why didn't he choose something that wasn't so beat-up? Maybe it had something to do with the fact he had grown up on a ranch. Then the other Link tore off the sleeves on the shirt and crossed his arms, satisfied, nodding his head to himself. "Yeah, that looks about right...I'd take my old Ordon clothes over this stuff any day, but this is good enough." Link raised an eyebrow. So he'd been right about the ranch?

Link looked down and picked at his Kokiri tunic with regret. He didn't want to take it off, but it seemed that even though Midna was bossy, she had a valid point in everything she said. Navi and Midna uncannily mirrored each other in that respect; although Navi was talkative, she was more than knowledgeable enough to keep around as a partner. Sure, she didn't solve the temple puzzles, but that was his job. "What are you waiting for? Hurry up! I even picked out a nice blue one for you!" Midna nagged, and Link refrained from glaring at her. "It matches your eyes and everything!" As if he really cared about matching colors and whatnot.

"Since you're taking forever and a day, I'll be in the other room, changing," the other Link declared, and Link stared at him in confusion. He explained, somewhat smugly, "Down there under the bed, there's a hole that goes to another room. Or did you not notice?" The opening looked like a tight fit, especially for the shoulders, but the other Link didn't seem to notice. There wasn't even a quick glance exchanged between the other Link and Midna, but soon there was a wolf in the middle of the house. Navi shrieked some nonsense in Link's pointed ears, and he clapped his hands over his ears before she damaged his hearing any more. She quieted immediately, guilty at forgetting his sensitive hearing, while the other Link grinned wide at the fairy's discomfort and crawled through the hole easily, using his new frame's slimness to make it through.

Midna lazily transformed him back and forth so the end product was the other Link with different clothes in the main room. Link marveled at their ability to work together without any need to talk at all, finding the fluidity in their partnership so different from his partnership with Navi, which consisted mainly of Navi yelling advice at him and Link choosing to listen when he needed it and ignoring her when the advice was too obvious. And while Midna had been loyal—albeit with snarky retorts and much similarities to a slave-driver—Navi had vanished, only to come back when she felt like it.

When it came to Link's turn to change, he just shook his head. There was no way he was going to be able to fit through there. So he just pushed everybody out, noticing with mild curiosity how the other Link jerked violently at his touch, how Midna nudged him out the door herself when she saw the reaction, and how the other Link didn't protest at that. Link recalled how the other Link didn't appreciate being even so much as brushed against when it came to people, and filed it in his mind for future reference. Then Link changed by himself, enjoying the solitude. Navi would call him a loner and a hermit if she could see the slight smile that grew in the peacefulness, but that was just her opinion.

And then he remembered that he was trapped, separated from Hyrule, and the smile vanished.

"—shouldn't crash this party," Link heard Navi protest as soon as he stepped outside.

"We're not 'crashing the party', just eavesdropping. See what we can hear. Goddesses, both you and that Hero of Time are both so _weird_..." Midna groaned from her seat on the other Link's head, who didn't look very happy to have an imp sitting on his head. "Honestly, I don't know how you guys could ever pull off the Hero job! You have to take risks and bruise a few feelings sometimes! Sensitivity isn't something you need all the time! Do you guys ask how the moblin feels before you kill it—"

"Listen, if you even try to disturb whatever event's going on over on the other side of the island, I swear—"

"Both of you, calm down," Link muttered. The irate fairy fluttered her wings angrily, but did as she was told. "Navi, it's okay, I'm sure she wouldn't do that. And besides, I think we all agree that to keep a low profile would be the best option for now." He began to wrap his green hat around the lower half of his face.

"That doesn't match your clothes at all! What are you doing?" Midna cried, trying to snatch the hat away from him.

Link let a hard glint into his eyes. "My hat is my hat. I may have taken off the tunic, but my hat goes nowhere. I'm going to continue to wear it, even if it's not on my head. Understand?"

Midna growled like a feral animal, a low, guttural noise coming from her throat. "Don't talk that way to me, fairy-boy." The other Link was watching with rapt attention, his face brightening at the prospect of a fight, but Midna had evidently decided that there had been enough arguments for today. She settled back, coolly watching him with her one visible eye. "If you want to go around looking like a color-blind idiot, that's fine with me. Your loss."

Link finished setting the cloth around his face, tuning Midna's last words out. Although he did believe that none of the villagers would be able to see them, taking proof from the earlier bokoblin, it was better to be safe than sorry. "Hey, Link, you should do that too!" Midna said while tapping her hand against the other Link's head. "Use the hat, I mean."

"I'll do no such thing. The sleeves I tore off the shirt will do just fine." The other Link stared at the pair of shoes he had found in the house. "How the bloody hell are these things supposed to go on your feet? You can have them." He tossed them to Link, who decided that to be on the safe side he should wear them.

Link was scuffing his feet on the path, testing them out, when he realized that there had only been one spare pair of shoes. "What are you going to do about shoes?"

The other Link shrugged, even that motion having a slight hostile edge to it. "I don't feel in the mood for shoes. I like going barefoot, y'know?"

Link did know, actually. He knew it was a habit that had originated while washing the goats with Ilia, it had then spread to playing in the springs, then to his house, and then to pretty much everywhere in the village. He could recite exactly what every villager's reaction had been to the muddy tracks on the village paths. He could tell which goat they'd been washing when they had founded the habit, that the particular goat in question had a weird white dot on the side of its nose. So Link did know.

"Let's go already! If we're going to go snooping around a village like crooks, lets just hurry up and get it over with!" Navi shouted. Midna and the other Link completely ignored her.

"It's okay, Navi, they'll learn to appreciate you eventually," Link assured her softly. "Wasn't I the same way when we first met?"

"You thought I was just useless. They think I'm flat-out annoying."

Link didn't really have the heart to tell her that the other Link and Midna weren't entirely wrong.

Finally, they set made their way across the bridge, arriving on the other side of the island. It too was deserted, but there was a light on in one of the houses. It seemed to be the only two-story house in the village, with a ladder that led to the upper floor. There was a small deck above the lower-level door, where there was a door that spilled golden glow into the early night.

"Hey, that looks like a start. We can definitely climb up there, and the door looks unlocked," Navi whispered. Link nodded, and glanced at the other Link. Apparently, he and Midna were discussing something similar in low tones so Link couldn't hear. Then once again the other Link's shape darkened and contorted, and once Wolf Link shook out his fur Midna floated up to the deck and beckoned with her hair. Navi sqeaked again, but didn't try to say anything. The other Link leapt for the deck, and miraculously made it. "If I could do that, that would make my life so much easier," Link muttered to himself, as he settled for just climbing up the pole that supported the deck, traditional Kokiri tree-climbing style.

The other Link already had the door open by the time he got there, and was easing it open. It didn't squeak, and Link made note that most likely the door was regularly cared for and kept oiled. It showed something about the owner of this house. Link had made taking such tiny observation a habit, finding them useful at times.

Both Links instinctively crouched as they entered. They were on a high ledge, overlooking what Link supposed was the main room, and there were voices floating upwards. Peeking over the edge, there was a short, elderly man with an overgrown head and ridiculously long staff, an old woman with a cheerful face and neat bun of silvery hair, a blue-haired young woman, an overweight housewife-looking character, a worn, middle-aged man, a man around his mid-twenties who looked to be the owner of the clothes Link wore by the size of his body, young boy with messy blonde hair, a girl in pigtails, and finally two small boys that could be brothers. One had a disgusting booger dangling from his nose, and would occasionally try to suck it back up into his head. Link wrinkled his nose in disgust. Countless dead moblin bodies he could take, but not a little boy with a big nasal problem.

"Are you sure we should be by the edge like this? They might see us," Link breathed to the other Link, leaning slightly towards him, and the other Link shrunk away.

"It's fine, they won't see us. The bokoblin didn't, after all." He looked less than pleased to be agreeing with Link's logic...or was it because their shoulders were less than six inches away from each other? Perhaps it was a little bit of both, because the other Link inched himself farther away from Link, but his scowl still remained.

"That guy looks dangerous," Navi buzzed in his ear. He looked at her, puzzled, and she elaborated, "That guy in the corner! Just look at the guy!" Link checked all the corners, and finally found a thin bearded man he hadn't spotted before, leaned against a wall with a spear resting at his side. The man was balding, but obviously an adept fighter. Link made a mental note to keep an eye on him.

"Didn't we tell that one last time?" the man with the staff sighed. "You want to hear it _again_?"

All the children nodded excitedly. "Oh dear, the questions will be flying again," the chubby woman chuckled, and the two boys began to pout.

"We wouldn't have to keep asking if you would just answer," the messy-haired boy said reasonably, and the rest of the children nodded as if following his command. He seemed to be the most mature of them all, not only in age, but in manner as well. Link would have tried to get a better view of his face, but from the overhead angle Link was at, it was impossible.

"Don't know what you're talking about," the staff man said airily.

The pigtailed girl waved a telescope indignantly. "Uncle Sturgeon, we know you adults are hiding something! Grandma admitted it!" The elderly lady with the bun shifted uncomfortably as the adults turned briefly to her and away.

"If you keep pestering us, I won't tell the story," the man named Sturgeon threatened, and immediately the children sat quietly. Link smiled to himself, and fidgeted a little. He didn't see the spear-man's eyes flicker upwards. "Good. So, I suppose that—"

"Brother, stop."

Sturgeon turned angrily to the man in the corner, suddenly furious. "What now? Stop interrupting me, you muscle-brained fool!" Navi tugged Link away from the edge, so he wouldn't be seen, and the other Link scooted himself backwards as well. They could all feel that the man with the spear was not somebody to take chances with.

"I thought I saw something up on the loft." The man obviously meant where the group was hiding, and Link heard the other Link swear softly. They beat a hasty retreat out onto the deck and shut the door as quietly as they could, hurried by the sounds of somebody going up a ladder to check.

"Nope, nothing here, Uncle Orca," a young voice called, and Link figured that it must have been the messy-haired boy talking to the man with the spear.

Midna scowled. "Oh yes, they definitely won't be able to see us, wolf-boy. Most definitely."

The other Link argued, "It was his idea. I was just agreeing with him."

From where they were outside, they couldn't hear exactly what was going on, but they knew there was talking. Link unlatched the door again, and they resumed their positions on the floor, ears open and waiting for any sign they had been either caught, or hints as to where this island was. They had missed the title of the story, but they could tell that Sturgeon was only beginning the actual telling.

Sturgeon paused, then turned to the elder woman, the grandmother of the pigtailed girl. "Won't you tell it? You're much better than I." The woman bobbed her head and hobbled forward, so the children faced her.

"It's late, and you all know this by heart, so I'll make this short, okay?" The children nodded impatiently as if to say, just get on with it already.

The grandmother shook her head, then took a deep breath. "This is but one of the legends of which the people speak..." the grandmother began, and the girl with pigtails giggled.

"Big Brother, she's always so dramatic!"

"Aryll, shh, she's telling the story," he hushed, and the girl called Aryll fidgeted sheepishly and set her head against her brother's shoulder.

"Long ago, there existed a kingdom where a golden power lay hidden." The grandmother was a skilled storyteller, and Link could tell she had many years of telling legends and such, if not decades. The way her voice rose and fell automatically drew in listeners, even if the words she spoke weren't exciting in themselves and already known to the children.

The grandmother was smiling kindly as she said, "It was a prosperous land bless with green forests, tall mountains, and peace." She seemed to find something comforting in the words she spoke, but the children were getting a bored look, as if they knew that this wasn't the good part yet.

"But one day a man of great evil found the golden power and took it for himself..." The kids were perking up, starting to look excited, and so were the watchers above.

Man of great evil?

Golden power?

Prosperous land with green forests and tall mountains?

Ganondorf, the Triforce, and Hyrule?

The Link caught the other Link glancing at Link, and returned the wide-eyed gesture. These islanders knew of Ganondorf? And if they were right about the "prosperous land," they were referring to Hyrule itself. Were they closer to Hyrule than they thought? "With it's strength at his command, he spread darkness across the kingdom." The grandmother gestured to accent the solemnness of this section of the story, her cheerful voice low and grave.

Everybody held their breath as she continued, "But then, when all hope had died, and the hour of doom seemed at hand...

"...a young boy clothed in green appeared as if from nowhere," she finished her sentence, the children cheered, and the two brothers hopped up and began to brandish invisible swords. The adults nearby chuckled to themselves.

Up on the landing above, there was no such hilarity. This was a tale of one of the two Heroes, since the vague description given below would fit either one. The twilight would be the obvious darkness in the other Link's case, and the grief, fear, and destruction that Ganondorf had spread across Hyrule in Link's time would also work as "darkness." Although, it did not especially matter who the "young boy clothed in green" was, only that this confirmed that these people knew of Hyrule, even if it was only through a legend they probably didn't even believe was real.

And Link felt hope soar inside at the very thought that he might be able to return to his one and only Hyrule.

"Wielding the blade of evil's bane, he sealed the dark one away and gave the land light." The two brothers acted out a small swordfight scene, with the taller one ending up supposedly stabbed, and the girl with pigtails and her brother laughed. The real story was clearly within the imagination of the audience, and the story the grandmother told was merely the bones for which the children could place the meat upon.

"This boy, who traveled through time to save the land, was known as the Hero of Time."

"Ha, Link! You're a legend!" Navi squealed, and Link smiled absently. He wasn't concerned with that at all, and was still listening for the grandmother to continue. Any information on Hyrule, at this point, was welcome. And then he remembered that this information wasn't supposed to be known, that when he had been sent back in time, all that he had done had been reversed. It just made everything more confusing. How could this be, that these islanders knew what the Hylians themselves did not? The villagers gave a smattering of applause, signaling that the story was done, and Link raised an eyebrow at the shortness of the tale.

"CONTINUE!" the younger of the two brothers, the one with the boogers, shrieked at the top of his lungs, causing everybody to jump at the shrill scream. Both Links, the grandmother, the girl with the pigtails, and the messy-haired boy winced with pain, immediately plugging their ears with their fingers. Link blinked, and trained his eyes on the grandmother. Sure enough, long ears poked out from her silvery hair. And after re-examining the two young blondes with new interest, now that he looked at them carefully, even though their faces were still obscured from the overhead angle, it was clear they both had pointed ears, the trademark of a Hylian.

So these islanders weren't people who had just so happened to hear of Hyrule, being people who lived in a distant country far away. No, these people _were_ Hylians, but didn't seem to know it.

Where _were_ they?

Was it possible...that there was another Hyrule created when he had been sent back in time, one that remembered the Hero of Time? That what he had done hadn't been completely reversed? That there were _two _Hyrules? And now, they were in the Hyrule that knew of the Hero of Time, whereas before both him and the other Link had been in the one that didn't... It seemed like an outrageous explanation for fools, but it was the only thing he could think of.

"No, no, it's late, and you're all too young; off to bed with all of you," the grandmother shooed. The two boys sighed, and the younger one sniffed deeply at his booger.

"Does that kid not know about the wonderful invention called the hanky?" Midna commented, wrinkling her nose. The other Link snorted.

The grandmother said, "Get your sister in bed, alright? I'll be back in a minute, I just have thing I need to talk to with Uncle Sturgeon and Uncle Orca." The messy-haired boy nodded, already taking his sister's hand. The grandmother smiled warmly as the two children vanished out the door. "Such a sweet boy!"

"Well, might as well get little Joel and Zill to bed too, hmm? Let's go, Abe," the overweight woman commanded, and she scooped up the older brother. The middle-aged man, assumed to be Abe and probably the woman's husband, followed suit and picked up the child with the boogers, seeming to disregard the nastiness coming from the child's nose. Then they, too, left the house.

"Later, Rose, Abe," the mid-twenties man called as the door swung shut again, then stretched his back. "I think I'll turn in now, too..."

"Goodnight, Mesa." The grandmother waved, and he waved back lazily before slamming the door shut behind him.

The blue-haired girl suggested tentatively, "Grandfather, I think I'll spend the night at Rose's house, and help with the party decorations...if that's alright with you, and you'll be fine without me—"

"I'm not so old that I need to be baby-sat every moment, Sue-Belle, m'dear," Sturgeon chuckled, smoothing his beard out. "The Goddesses know that tomorrow's celebrations will be fabulous if you've helped to set it up, mmhmm, with your experience from Windfall. And the boy deserves such a grand party, don't you think?" The girl smiled, then left as well.

"Goddesses?" Navi noted. Link's eyes narrowed. Same beliefs as Hylians, too. Only further supported his hair-brained theory, which after a second thought, he'd classified as possible, but improbable.

Only the grandmother, Sturgeon, and the man named Orca remained. The grandmother shook her head, sighing. "Orca, you've been training him with a sword, I see," she stated, voice disapproving.

"Indeed."

"Sturgeon, you've been teaching him to read Sea Charts."

Sturgeon stroked his mustache. "Quite."

"Not only that, Orca, you give him permission to use your old boat, and Sturgeon, he's _somehow_ got his hands on your books about sailing."

"I may have accidentally-on-purpose slipped him a few from my collection, yes," Sturgeon chuckled, while Orca shrugged wordlessly.

"Why do you two seem to think he'll leave the island?" the elder woman demanded. "Goddesses know that he's only a boy--"

"What's tomorrow?"

The grandmother turned sharply to Orca. "What?"

"What's tomorrow?" he repeated calmly. She blinked, mouth forming a little "O." Nodding slowly, Orca tapped his spear butt on the floor. "Tomorrow will be his eleventh birthday. We all know what this means. He will have a choice to stay or to leave, and if you have ever seen he way he stands on the dock, or the watchtower, and gazes out at the sea, you would know he would not stay if he had a choice."

"Indeed," Sturgeon agreed, tapping his staff on the ground, "and if he is to go out there into the wide world, he should remember that knowledge is power!"

"Knowledge does not kill a moblin, brother." Orca crossed his arms.

Sturgeon's face turned a blotchy, irate shade of red. "Will you stop going on about strength this, strength that? You're the one with the injured leg!"

"I am the one with the injured leg, and you are the one who has let his body wither and grow feeble over the years."

Midna snickered softly, and remarked, "They look a lot like you two, eh? One with temper issues, and one with no temper at all." She patted both Links' shoulders, and Link let a smile touch his face. Once again, even with her irritating attitude, she had a valid point.

"What concerns me," Orca said with deliberate emphasis on each word, cutting off an infuriated Sturgeon, "is that in his mind, he has no choice. He is bound here by--"

"Grandma?" The messy-haired boy peeked out from behind the door, and Sturgeon and the grandmother jumped. Orca merely turned around and beckoned for the boy to enter. Link tried again to get a look at the boy's face again, but his hair was covering a lot, and the rest was lost to his awkward overhead angle.

"How much did you hear, child?" the grandmother asked softly.

"Not much. The door muffled most of it, and I wasn't stalling outside the door, trying to eavesdrop or something." Sturgeon sighed in relief. "Grandma..."

"Yes, child?"

"Can you...finish the story? Please? I even put Aryll to bed, and she's sound asleep."

The grandmother frowned. "It is too scary, and the legend if better left off there--"

"His eleventh birthday is tomorrow," Orca reminded. Link frowned; what was so important about the eleventh birthday?

"Yes, yes, the lad deserves to know," Sturgeon agreed, adjusting his spectacles. "Knowledge is power, m'boy!" The boy nodded obediently, and continued to wait.

After a moment, while the grandmother stared down at the floor, trying to decide about something, Orca volunteered, "I will tell him. I will pass on the rest word for word as my father told me, as I have no children of my own to tell, and I wish for none." The grandmother slowly bobbed her head up and down in assent, weakly beginning to sit upon a stack of books, and the boy quickly helped her before turning back to Orca.

"This boy, who traveled through time to save the land, was known as the Hero of Time," Orca repeated the grandmother's last words, then continued where she had stopped. "The boy's tale was passed down through generations until it became legend..."

Generations? Was this another time travel matter? How far into the future were they, then? Link couldn't find any answers at the moment, so merely bit his lip and listened harder.

"But then...a day came when a fell wind began to blow across the kingdom."

Link's eyes widened. How?

"The great evil that all thought had been forever sealed away by the hero..."

Please don't say it, he prayed, please don't...

"...once again crept forth from the depths of the earth, eager to resume its dark designs."

No!

"The people believed that the Hero of Time would again come to save them."

When Link heard Orca say that, he knew exactly how in vain that belief had been, how desperate and fearful the people must have been...

"...But the hero did not appear."

Of course not.

"Faced by an onslaught of evil, the people could do nothing but appeal to the gods."

Heroes are created so people are not forced to that last hope, so that the people can see and believe in a tangible ray of light that they could put their trust in to cut away at the darkness. So how dare he let down the Hylians that way? Orca said nothing for a moment, letting the weight of his words sink into the messy-haired boy, who stood immobile.

"In their last hour, as doom drew nigh, they left their future in the hands of fate."

There was another silence, then the boy whispered, "But what became of that kingdom...?"

Orca's voice was unforgving. "None remain who know."

Link's mind blanked out. He didn't think anymore, just let the words continue to batter his mind.

"The memory of the kingdom vanished, but it's legend survived on the wind's breath," Sturgeon sighed.

Orca bowed his head to confirm it. "On a certain island," he said, gesturing around them, referring the the island outside, "it became customary to garb boys in green when they came of age."

He looked pointedly at the grandmother, who contributed in defeat, "Clothed in the green of fields, they aspired to find heroic blades and cast down evil."

"That is the reason why you will wear what you will tomorrow," Sturgeon explained, "and really, that is how the tradition is supposed to go. The young man is given the choice: to venture out into the world, or to stay behind on the island. Most, if not all, choose to take up the sword, if only briefly, and perform some feat that they could retell and leave the audience wide-eyed, m'boy. And this tradition is only here, because on any other island, they'd think the legend was just a legend, and that the kingdom didn't really exist. " Orca gave Sturgeon a glare, like he was deviating from a set script. "What? Am I not allowed to educate the boy?"

Orca sighed and finished, "The elders wished only for the youths to know courage like the hero of legend..."

Link couldn't hear anymore. He unlatched, with shaking fingers, the lock on the door that led to the deck and slipped outside. Escape was what he needed. Then he jumped from the deck, ripping his hat from around his face in frustration as he went, actually stumbling when he landed. Navi cried out in alarm; he never stumbled like that, especially not on such falls that weren't even that high to him. The fairy whizzed after him, trying to keep up, but Link was too fast. He was already gone into the night, and Navi didn't follow. In a corner of his mind, he was grateful that even she knew that this was not the time for somebody to attempt to understand him. Perhaps the other Link would be able to understand him that well, since they had seen each other's memories and all emotions attached to each, but the other Link...was not somebody Link wanted to talk to. Perhaps Zelda or Saria he would be able to stand right now, but he didn't even want to talk to them, and that definitely said something.

He wanted to be alone, all by his loner, hermit self.

* * *

Link watched the other Link go, and didn't try to stop him. He knew how much Hyrule meant to the other Link, but he wasn't exactly inclined to care much about that bastard's feelings, now was he? And although it might be interesting to watch the other Link's reaction, the conversation going on below was much more intriguing. And yes, of course this was Hyrule, the land that he cared for as well, but he has come to realize that since the history's didn't match, this must have been the time that the other Zelda had sent him from. The Hyrule he knew wasn't even aware that there was a Hero of Time, and yet here was the tale being told, presumably countless decades after the Hero of Time's triumph over Ganondorf. This wasn't his Hyrule. It wasn't his business. Hell, he was done with Hero work until another cyclone picked him up and dumped him back at Lake Hylia.

"Yes, yes, but we are in times of peace!" the grandmother cried abruptly. "I see no reason for you to encourage him to leave the island and do such foolish things!"

"Do you not wish for him to be courageous? The tradition goes that the elders are supposed to encourage the youth in question," Orca argued innocently.

"I, I, o-of course, but—"

"He will choose on his own time, won't you?" Orca turned to the boy, but the messy-haired kid didn't respond. "What are you smiling for, boy?" Link couldn't see the kid's face at all, but he could at least see the boy shrug and help his grandmother to her feet.

"I finally know the rest of the legend, and understand the tradition. It was very...informative," the boy said simply, and shrugged again. Together the grandmother and the boy crossed the room, and he paused before opening door. "Thank you very much, Uncle Orca, Uncle Sturgeon. I shall remember your words at the end especially, Uncle Orca."

"'The elders wished only for the youths to know courage like the hero of legend'? Is that what you mean, boy?"

"Yes." He lifted his head slightly, and although the hair still covered so much from the overhead angle, Link could see part of the smile Orca had mentioned. Link shivered. That smile looked so simple, so happy, so innocently child-like, and yet so unreadable at the same time, concealing _something_...

This was not the smile of a child of only eleven years.

And then the door opened and the pair disappeared behind it, and the door closed softly.

"...The boy is bound to Outset Island by his sister, and this worries me," Orca murmured. Link grinned to himself. Outset Island, eh? So that's where they were. "But his grandmother will have no real hold over him by tomorrow, and only his love for Aryll will keep him here. And if his dedication to Aryll were no longer a factor, then I do not think that his grandmother would be able to stop him."

"Yes, yes," Sturgeon muttered back. "It appears so...if only that last chain would disappear, I think the child, you, and I would all be happier..."

"Hmm... Did you notice that smile, brother?"

"It seems that no matter how childish he may seem at times, there is something inside that is hiding, something he may not even know himself..."

"I would think the smile and Aryll may be connected..." Orca reflected. It was almost funny how both brothers kept absentmindedly answering each other, both lost in thought.

They stood that way for a moment, one brother with his staff, one brother with his spear, and then they both snapped out of it. "Out! You oafish gorilla! Don't think I'd let you stay in my room a second longer than you need to!" Sturgeon screamed, banging the butt of his staff on the ground, wrinkled face twisted with fury.

Orca shook his head, eyes showing a gleam of anger. "You do not respect your body, brother! Books will not save you from a Darknut!" Then Orca stormed out through the door, and Sturgeon fixed his glasses, huffing with rage.

"Oho, so these two have fought Darknuts?" Midna observed casually. "I can picture the tall skinny guy, but not the short, fat one... Maybe he was so pathetic, the Darknut felt sorry for him and committed suicide." Link chuckled at the dark humor, but his mind was elsewhere. No matter how hard he tried, Link couldn't concentrate on Midna's words. He didn't know why—no, he did know.

It was that damn creepy brat.

* * *

He sprinted across the dock and threw his hat to the ground, crouching and holding his face in his hands. Leaning himself against the watchtower ladder, he stared into the dark, glossy waters, his pale, lean face reflected only because of the moon's pale shine. It was all his fault, he was the one who had failed, he was the one who might as well have destroyed Hyrule with his own hands, the land he loved...

Hyrule...gone?

* * *

Ridiculously long author's note for a ridiculously long chapter:

I'm using the split-timeline theory, so sue me. It seems logical to me, and I don't think there's actually anybody out there that doesn't believe in the split-timeline theory, really. In my experience, it seems everybody runs with that idea... Although, I'm not saying anything else about the timeline because I don't want to be wrong. I'll just tell you OoT Link and TP Link are from the child timeline, TP comes after OoT, and WW Link is from the adult timeline after OoT...obviously.

For that part where Zill screams "CONTINUE!", I know that practically all the people on Outset are Hylian except for Joel and Zill, but I'm making it so that only Link, Aryll, and Grandma are. It's not even a big change, and it helps the story flow better, so don't start attacking me or anything. I'm trying to stick to the game, but sometimes you've got to break the rules...

But no, there's no split personality for WW Link, and there's no magic/demon/possessing for this guy. Nope, he's just a kid. ...But did you think that WW Link would get away without some weird mental issue? He's a part of the screwed-up squad, so yes, he's a little messed up too. Count on it, because things are just so much more fun when people are nutcases who punch their past selves.

For those who read Pandora Hearts, I call that last part with WW Link the "Oz Vessalius scene." That creepy smiles will come back eventually, although it won't be everywhere. Weird, both Oz and WW Link have blonde hair and green eyes, too...although one is three, four years younger than the other and one's not some reincarnation of a guy with a ridiculously long braid. For those who don't read Pandora Hearts, ignore everything in this paragraph.

I kind of like this chapter...although I may regret having to input that creepiness into WW Link's personality. Most definitely that won't be coming back until I have to let it...


	5. Beginning of a Legend

Link lay awake on his bed, surrounded by his thoughts. Aryll was breathing slowly beside him, and from her snores, Grandma was sleeping as well. His eyes were in no danger of closing anytime soon, and they drifted to the window. Moonlight was shining through, forming little silver shapes on the wooden floors, and Link finally decided that he had had enough. Just as carefully as this morning, he lifted the covers and swung his legs silently over the edge of the bed, setting his tiny feet on the ground with care. He kept them at odd angles, to avoid all the creaky floorboards.

Dressed in his day clothes, he opened the door a crack and winced when it squeaked softly. Link knew the noise from the hinges never got higher than a small whine, but Grandma could be a light sleeper sometimes, and he didn't want to get caught sneaking out of the house at the dead of night. In the end, he successfully shut the door behind him, blinking his eyes in the dark night. Once he got used to the pale lighting of the moon, he let his feet carry him where they wanted and his eyes travel where they wished.

He was somewhere down the path near Orca and Sturgeons house when he thought he saw a shadow in the corner of his eye. Link's head snapped towards it, but it seemed his eyes were playing tricks on him in the dark. There wasn't anything there, so he shrugged to himself and continued walking down the path.

* * *

"The hell are you doing?" Midna hissed.

"I want a look at his face! The kid is--"

"I don't care what the kid is! We need a place to sleep, so hurry up! You'll have all the time in the world tomorrow!"

Link blew out a breath, and unclenched his fist. He was losing his grip on his anger ever since that Hero of Time had shown up, and he needed to make sure his temper was under control in case he somehow got back to Hyrule. When that day came, he would have to continue with his role as Hero, and cast down Ganondorf.

As he set back off into the night, checking every crevice that looked like it might provide a little shelter for the night, he found himself wishing that day would never come.

* * *

Smacking himself lightly on the head, he sighed in relief and exasperation. Link had thought that he had seen an unfamiliar figure crouched by the watchtower ladder, but as soon as he blinked, it was gone. So he gripped the rungs on the ladder and began to climb, finding nothing else to do. Most of the villagers would find themselves panting by the time they reached the top, but Link was a pro at climbing ladders. He had been going up and down this ladder since he was five, and at eight, just up. Down became an exhilarating fall that made most gasp and Orca laugh.

At the top, he tried to reach out his hand like Aryll did and summon the seagulls to him, but they wouldn't listen. Chuckling weakly to himself, Link sat down and stared at the ocean. The dark waves tipped with silver were beautiful from here, but he wanted to be right next to the foam and spray and feel it's touch on his skin. Maybe it was better that he was up here, then, so the alluring call of the ocean would not affect his judgement.

Orca said he had a choice. Link could actually choose to stay or to find a boat and venture out as he had wanted to for so long. But what of Aryll? To leave her would destroy him, and he knew it. When he scraped a knee, he would stare at it and begin to think of how he should hide it from Aryll, so she wouldn't worry. When he sparred with Orca, sometimes he would blank out in the middle of a sword swing and wonder what Aryll was doing. His life, Link admitted, nearly completely revolved around her. It could be called obsession, really.

Orca said he had a choice. To Link, he had no choice.

He couldn't recall falling asleep in the watchtower, thoughts of Aryll dancing around his head, the sheer image of her face putting a little broken smile on his face.

* * *

Link wasn't sure what he was supposed to do. When Link had finally found Zelda, Ganondorf had stolen her away, and that had sent him into a state of despair similar to the one he was in now. Yet, he had nearly immediately known what was to be done: storm Ganondorf's castle and kill the King of Evil. Not an easy task, but a rather straightforward and obvious goal. Here, there was no solution so simple. Hyrule was gone, he was in despair mode, but there was no way to fix it. Thus, Link was left with a huge sense of aimlessness and panic.

The messy-haired kid had almost spotted him, and he probably wouldn't have bothered to hide in the water if he hadn't reminded last minute the consequences would be disastrous if he were to be found...and then convinced himself to actually care about the consequences. And he found that concealing himself took his mind off Hyrule for a short few minutes, so Link was thankful for it. But once the boy had passed, again he was stuck with just his reeling thoughts as he trudged back up the mountain, wringing the stolen clothes out. The alternate Hyrule, the one that remembered the Hero of Time, was unreachable to him, and there was no way to protect it. The best he could manage, Link concluded, would be to find a way to return to his own time, where he sat upon the roofs of Castle Town and did what he could to protect Hyrule.

Yet the word _unsastisfactory_ sprung to mind when he thought that. Link attempted to escape his own mind with sleep, curling up in the grass by the bridge where he had woken up before, and dreamed of Ganondorf laughing while Hylians fled a burning Hyrule Castle with wild terror in their eyes, Zelda screaming in the background. He woke in cold sweat, but was so tired he fell asleep again, and fortunately did not remember the dream.

* * *

Hiding in the shadows was easy for a wolf, but Link had just woken up, so he wasn't thrilled to have to go four-legged so early in the day. Not only was the transformation making him irritable, the fact that several beasties Midna called crabs had found their way into his shirt during the night had made him regret deciding to camp out on the beach. Oh, he was out of sight of the village, so the beach did the job, and seeing the ocean up close in person for the first time in his life had been exciting, but waking up to find horrible little mini-Tektites nestling up by his face had definitely started him off in a bad mood. After much yelling and panicking on Link's part, Midna had finally told him through her laughter fit that if he didn't "scream like a little girl," as she put it, or otherwise freak out and try to kill it, it wouldn't try and pinch his fingers off.

"Big Brother!" the girl called from a house, and Link's attention locked on her. She meant the messy-haired boy he _still_ hadn't seen the face of, right? Finally Link had seen hers, but there wasn't anything special. What had he been expecting? He didn't know, only that he was curious about the boy and anybody related to him. The girl scurried quickly down the beach, and yelled again, "BIG BROTHER!"

Link was hiding in the grass by the house they had been in last night, the one belonging to Sturgeon and probably his brother Orca as well. He just needed to watch out for the bluehead, Sue-Belle, he remembered Sturgeon calling her. Nobody else was out yet, and other than Link himself, only she was awake, carrying jars of water back and forth down the path. The girl Aryll set the telescope to her eye and scanned the island, frowning, and Link had to move slightly to get a clear view of her around the rocks. Then she was off again, pace unreasonably quick as she crossed the bridge and down the path that led to the watchtower. Link didn't risk following her across the bridge, so dashed for the water when Sue-Belle wasn't looking and swam to the other side. But then Aryll climbed up the ladder, and Midna cursed from his shadow. To follow her there would be impossible, so the two would have to wait for her to come back down. Since she was looking for her brother, she should come down eventually, once she had checked the watchtower. And if she had found her brother, even better, for Link would finally be able to settle the uneasiness that had been building within his gut, an undefinable emotion concerning the boy and his smile.

* * *

"Big Brother!" Somebody was calling him, but Link chose to ignore it. He didn't have the energy to move from his comfortable spot on the wood floor. Then he connected the voice to Aryll and drowsily pushed himself up, blinking in the daylight and his mind still not functioning right. Link twisted around to the general direction of where Aryll's voice had come from, but saw no one by the ladder. Dismissing it, he staggered upright and stretched, trying to get all the cricks out of his back.

"I knew you'd be here!" Link snapped awake for a moment, hearing Aryll giggling behind him. "Hee hee hee! This is my _favorite_ spot to gaze out at the sea. When I play with the gulls, I call it 'Aryll's Lookout.'" She was just trying to get him to jumpstart his brain by telling him all this information that he mostly already knew, but it wasn't really working.

"So, do you remember what day it is today?" Aryll asked, eyes bright and excited. Link had no such enthusiasm, and continued to stare blankly at her, eyes still half-closed with sleep.

Aryll wiggled in place nervously, pigtails swaying behind her, smile gaining a uneasy look. "...You're still half-asleep, aren't you? Did you forget?

"Big Brother, it's your birthday!" All dregs of sleepiness vanished as all the memories from yesterday rushed back, each demanding attention. Orca telling him he had a choice, the last part of the legend, Aryll on a boat with eyes shadowed, the ocean, being an _adult_--

He scratched his head nervously at that last thought, almost not hearing Aryll when she added, "That's why Grandma has been waiting for you to come back to the house! She's been waiting for a while now..." Aryll's face told him that Grandma had forgiven Link for sneaking out last night and falling asleep in the watchtower. Maybe his sister had been right to say that he might be able to get away with a few things because of his eleventh birthday. "It's a good thing I came to find you!"

Aryll began wiggling again, this time her face excited. She hinted, "You should probably go home and see what Grandma wants, don't you think?" At that, Link smiled slightly, because both of them knew that Grandma obviously wanted to give Link the outfit she had been working on. Link nodded, then waved before totally ignoring the ladder and leaping out of the watchtower to land on the wooden bridge. He could hear Aryll giggle loudly up above, and grinned to himself. Doing that never failed to entertain her, and it was great fun for him, too.

* * *

"What's going on?" the other Link asked, appearing suddenly on Link's right. He yelped, rather literally because of his wolf form, and immediately put a good foot of distance between them. Nobody touched him or even got near him except for the villagers and Midna, and he wouldn't let anybody break that rule. Especially not the other Link. It was bad enough that the other Link knew all his memories, feeling that his privacy had already been invaded because of that.

"Shh! We're supposed to be hiding, blending in with the grass! And grass doesn't talk, wolf-boy!" Midna scolded, and Link growled.

"What's going on?" the other Link repeated patiently. He showed no signs of how badly the legend had hurt him, but Link had seen all of the guy's memories. He already knew along what lines what the other Link's reaction would be, even if he couldn't relate as to why the other Link cared for Hyrule so much.

"We're staking out the watchtower," Midna answered. "Isn't that obvious?" It actually was pretty obvious. They were in a huge section of overgrown grass by Mesa's house, the guy they had taken clothes from, and facing the watchtower. Of course, the hiding spot would easily cover for a wolf especially one working solo (Midna didn't really count, because she could hide in his shadow anytime she wanted), but now that the other Link and that chatterbox fairy were here, it made the entire task harder.

"Oh. I see."

Link rolled his eyes and turned back to the watchtower, and caught the boy running down the path, his back already facing them. He mentally swore, because he had no human mouth to swear with, and glared at the other Link. He was the one who had distracted his concentration. "Were you trying to see his face?" the other Link guessed.

Midna nodded, casually plucking at a blade of grass. "Yeah. Wolf-boy here is getting kinda obsessed with the kid, I think."

"I can't say I'm not curious about him too... Him, his sister, and their grandmother," the other Link admitted, and watched the boy's back as he crossed the bridge at a jog. "Hylian... Let's follow—oh. It's one of the brothers," he said flatly. The kid with the boogers was standing near their patch of grass, oblivious to their existence for now, but if they tried to move from their spot, the kid would surely notice them. Link clenched his teeth. When had the booger-man appeared there, and why hadn't he noticed?

Just then, the door to Mesa's house opened, and Mesa himself came out, stretching and yawning. "I think I'd better cut the grass today," he sighed, and Midna swore for Link, because all he could manage was a throaty growl. Now there were _two_ people; one wanted to do some yardwork in the area they were hiding in, and the other blocking off any escape.

"Hmm... I'll distract the kid! Somehow distract the other person, then make a break for the water!" Navi whispered hurriedly, then was off before they could protest. The other Link smiled humorlessly, and Link remembered, through the other Link's memories, how Navi tended to be a quick thinker, finding weaknesses to some enemies that she had never seen before. Or maybe that enemy thing had to do with the "perks of being a fairy," as Navi put it. Navi floated in front of the kid, snaring his attention completely, and led the boy away from the them. Nobody would believe the child if he told them about a flying ball of light, so Navi wouldn't be in any danger, either. The only problem would be if Mesa saw her, because Mesa, being an adult, would have a little more credibility than booger-man with the islanders.

Midna whistled softly. "So Twinkles isn't completely useless, after all. I was starting to think that maybe fairy-boy kept her around just to annoy people." Link barked out a soft laugh, and then Midna smirked to herself. "I guess I'll play a little game with our robbery victim, eh?" She faded to a transparent gray form, then slipped into Mesa's shadow briefly before hovering behind Mesa. After tapping his shoulder quickly, she vanished into his shadow again, as Mesa whirled around in confusion. They heard a high giggle, which only made Mesa even more bewildered.

"She's got an odd sense of humor," the other Link whispered, then carefully slunk towards the water. Link just jumped the short fence and bolted for it, diving with a slight splash into the water. He had no patience for such slow discreetness. Swimming under the cover of the water, he reached the bridge and crossed to the other side of the island under it's protection, hearing the other Link following behind. Crouching low on his belly, he kept himself hidden under the bridge in the shallow of the water. Luckily, the kid had stopped to talk to the bluehead with the pot, so it bought Link some time to notice the man named Abe in the grass by Sturgeon's house, and Sturgeon himself standing on the deck of his house, evidently waiting his turn to talk to the boy after the bluehead. It didn't seem like there would be any way to tail the kid anymore without somebody seeing them--

"Agh! You light-dwellers are so helpless sometimes!" Midna sighed, patting Link on the head. He jerked in surprise, freezing up, but relaxed soon after. Apparently, she had abandoned her game as soon as the Hylians had successfully made their getaway.

Navi fluttered her wings, shuddering. "I thought I'd never lose that kid! Ugh! I think my wing touched that foul thing coming out of his nose!"

"You're the one who suggested it," Midna scoffed. "Anyway, I'll take care of brainy over there." She rubbed her hands together, smirking evilly. "This is so much fun! I don't think I'll ever get tired of screwing with people like this!" Laughing again, she vanished and within seconds, Sturgeon was turning around in circles, trying to see the person that kept tapping his shoulder. The bluehead stopped talking, the kid went on his way, and the two Links skirted the bluehead without a hitch.

"More eavesdropping?" Navi cried. Both Link's ignored her and darted to the window on the porch, hoping their sensitive hearing would be enough to catch whatever was going on inside. It seemed like tailing the kid was getting them somewhere, however slowly, and besides, they didn't know what else to do.

"...these on," Link heard, and knew they had missed a part of the conversation. The grandma was still talking: "Time certainly flies... I can't believe...already old...wear these clothes." Link couldn't see what was happening, only getting a view of two beds and a small kitchen. Spying a ladder-ish shape, he figured that they must be up in a loft of some kind. That would explain why he couldn't catch all the words. "Don't look...disappointed, dear one! Just try...on." Link pictured an incredibly dorky outfit complete with a cape and puffy shoulders, then added into the mental image the kid staring at it, eyebrows raised, and snorted to himself.

"What's up?" Midna was back. Taking a quick look at Link, she snapped her fingers, and Link stood back up, fully Hylian again. He rolled his shoulders and shook his head remarkably like a dog to get the feel for being two-legged back, then pointed wordlessly to the window. "Ooohhh...I get it, I get it."

The grandma seemed to be going into full-blown lecture mode. "Today is a day to celebrate! It...day that you...same age as the young hero spoken...the legends. You only...wear them for one day...look so down. Be proud, child!" Link smirked at himself. If this entire eleventh birthday deal was based on the Hero of Time and the Hero of Time's age, then the dorky outfit he had imagined changed to the Hero's tunic. Still pretty exotic, he would admit, but it was way better than what he had originally thought.

"In the olden days, this...day boys were finally considered to be men. They...taught the ways of the sword to prepare...battle with their enemies." Link rolled his eyes. Now the grandma was going to start talking about stuff that the boy already knew. Link had heard the grandma tell her grandson most of this stuff yesterday, so he could almost hear the kid sighing. "But we don't live in such an age any longer... Our ways are the ways of peace." There was a subtle warning in the grandma's slightly louder tone, pleading for him to refuse Orca's idea of leaving the island. Because of the raised voice, Link could hear every word loud and clear, but in the next sentence the volume was back to a normal cheery tone just a tad too soft for Link to hear perfectly. "Nowadays...Orca is the only one...island who still knows...swordplay.

"Hanging the family shield on the wall as decoration...tradition that has been carried down...those days." Link didn't know if the boy knew this stuff already, but it was news to him. Hanging the family shield on the wall? Who thought of that idea? Then again, he had gotten his wooden Ordon Shield from a wall...

Link heard her say, "Does...make sense to you?" Apparently the kid had nodded or something, and then the grandma came into view, climbing down from the loft. The kid didn't come into view, so Link supposed that he was still up there, changing. The elderly woman ambled around the house, first checking on the soup, then smoothing out a non-existent crease on the bedspread, after which she finally climbed back up the ladder.

"Isn't that... They suit you perfectly! A perfect fit! Well, tonight I'm...invite the whole...your birthday party, so I'd...start getting ready, shouldn't I? Your grandma is going to make your favorite soup for you tonight! Mmmm!" Link smiled wryly at the slightly hypocritical statement. She spoke of the kid being a man today, and yet she still babied him with sentences like that. "I just know...forward to it! ...get your sister, Aryll."

Link had been absolutely right; the birthday outfit was indeed a vague homemade replica of the Hero's tunic complete with the unmistakable pointed cap. But even with all this new information that he believed would be ultimately useful sometime, Link was beginning to feel like some sort of sick stalker as they followed the boy back to the watchtower, mostly by water. Because they couldn't continue to follow him, the two Hylians were forced to tread water under the bridge that led to the watchtower while their companions hovered above the waves.

"Midna..." the other Link started, then stopped.

"What? Spit it out."

"Navi is far too noticable, but...do you think that you could eavesdrop on him from his shadow? And then tell us what went on?" Link mentally kicked himself for not thinking of that sooner.

Navi shrieked, "What? You're actually going along with their spying?"

Midna just giggled. "Eeeheehee! You're getting obsessed with the kid, too!" Then she floated upwards and out of sight, transparent once more.

* * *

From his shadow, the view was almost nostalgic. Brown boots, white leggings, green tunic, blonde hair. The only thing missing was the height, gloves, and weapons. Midna couldn't see his face from where she was, being at a downward angle, but she figured that she'd be able to catch a glimpse soon enough and finally get her Link to realize that he was being a weirdo.

The seagulls scattered and flew away as soon as the boy approached, and the girl Aryll waved as they left. Aryll noticed him from the corner of her eye, and turned around with a smile. "Ah! 'Hoy, Big Brother! Did Grandma make that outfit for you?" Aryll's eyebrows pulled together, her eyes amused and skeptical. "But wow... You look like you'd be way too hot in those clothes..." Midna held back a snort, totally agreeing with the girl. "I guess they're pretty neat, though!

"So, anyway, Link..."

Midna suppressed a gasp. Link? This kid was named _Link_? Her eyes grew wide at the very thought of having to tell her Link what the kid's name was, because she knew what conclusion he would jump to. And unfortunately, it probably wasn't the wrong one, either. But if it was only a coincidence...

Now, it all just depended on the boy's face, which would either make or break the theory.

"Can you," Aryll paused, "close your eyes and hold out your hand? Just for a second! I'm going to give you my most treasured belonging...but just for one day! _Happy Birthday_!" Aryll pulled out a telescope from behind her back, and Midna raised an eyebrow. In her opinion, it was kind of a dumb present, but according to his body language, the kid seemed shocked. He took it almost reverently, and Midna realized exactly how precious this thing was to his sister. The boy gazed at it in his hands, and in doing so, his head angled towards the ground.

Towards his shadow, to be exact.

It wasn't the younger version of the two Links who waited below, fortunately, and Midna breathed a sigh of relief. She could at least console her Link with that. But if one had to describe the boy's face and the two Heroes' faces, one would end up with nearly the same adjectives. Lean, elfish, pale, with windswept blond hair, complete with pointed ears. Of course, there was the contradicting vivid green eyes, another fact Midna was sure to take note of. The other two Link's had distinct blue eyes, which could further prove the fact that this Link was _not_ a reincarnation of the Hero of Time.

Aryll interrupted her thoughts with, "So? Well? Do you like it?" Without waiting for an answer, she continued in her excitement, "I'm letting you borrow this special gift just because you're my big brother! Aren't you lucky? Hee hee hee!" She was swaying side to side, talking nonstop, and Midna supposed that the boy wasn't going to cut in. Uncannily like her Link in her experience, letting other people talk everything out of their system and see if they didn't answer his questions that way. "Ooh, why don't you try it out! Right now! Try looking over at our house from here!" The boy obediently took the telescope and set it to his eye, training it in the direction of his house.

Midna wasn't really paying attention any more, and was arguing with herself on how to break it to Link...if she told him at all. It was possible to just lie and say that kid's name was Ruma or Kopow or something equally random and stupid-sounding, but she knew it would only put off the inevitable for a short time. From the rate they were going, the two Link's were going to follow the kid everywhere, and sooner or later they would hear somebody call the kid by his name. Then Midna would have no chance at softening the blow. So the only question left was, how should she tell him in a way that would convince him that there was no need to panic?

"The postman looks kinda weird, doesn't he?" Aryll asked, but Midna barely heard her. Only when the girl suddenly screamed, "AAAAAHH! LINK! The sky! Look up in the sky!" did Midna reluctantly return to the real world and look up just as the boy did.

"Oh geez...That's one...overgrown...cucco..." Midna muttered to herself, nearly breaking out in laughter at the sight of the huge bird with it's flashy tail feathers. But then she took a closer look, and her visible eye narrowed. What looked like a young girl was within it's huge claws, and Midna corrected herself softly, "That's one naughty overgrown cucco. Didn't your mother ever teach you not to kidnap little girls?" Even when there was nobody to hear, cracking jokes was a perfect way to hide fear. The two siblings were in a similar state of worry, opening their mouths but never finding words, shifting from foot to foot but never actually going anywhere. Rather, it seemed they were almost mesmerized by the sight of the bird.

Stones whizzed past the bird, and Midna's eyes darted to its source. A huge red ship was launching one after the other, desperate to hit the bird anywhere at all, and Midna supposed that the girl was a part of their crew or something. She noted with a raised eyebrow the Jolly Roger grinning from the black flag, and Midna found herself already taking a liking to the girl if she was a pirate.

The bird cruised along, seemingly oblivious to the barrage of missiles seeking to put a dent in it, then twisted its head around for a backward glance at its pursuer. Midna refrained from cheering as a rock hit the bird square in the beak, enjoying the spectacle immensely partly because she thought it deserved to get it's beak broken for snatching girls whenever it feels like it, and partly just because it was fun to see a gigantic bird get its face inverted. The bird squawked remarkably like the overgrown cucco she can called it, making the urge to giggle even harder to ignore, but all the humor in the situation disappeared when the bird and it's captive began to fall from the sky. All three in the watchtower gasped as the girl slipped from the birds grasp, dropping head-first into the forest. Midna clapped a hand over her mouth as soon as she realized that she had actually made an audible noise, but neither child had seemed to notice. The bird shook itself out and unsteadily flapped away, making Midna feel it was extremely unfair that the bird didn't meet the same fate as it's victim.

"Link, this is so terrible! That girl fell into the forest! She needs help!" Aryll cried, eyes wide and genuinely scared. "...But it's too dangerous for you to go in there without something you can use to defend yourself with!" Midna nodded to herself, sure that the bokoblin wouldn't ignore the kid as it had with the two other Links.

The kid nodded immediately and took a running jump off the watchtower, telescope still in hand. Midna popped free of his shadow half-way down, and watched the kid dash off, lingering as long as she could in the air to put off going back to the three below the bridge. Finally, with a heavy sigh, she drifted back down.

"We saw the bird," her Link said immediately. She nodded.

The other Link's jaw was clenched. "We have to help her."

"There's already somebody on the job, fairy-boy," Midna told him, sighing.

"What?"

"That kid you guys are so obsessed with," Midna supplied absently. "He's probably running off to get a sword or something he can use as a weapon so he can save her."

"Did you see his face?" her Link demanded, changing the subject completely. "Did you catch his name?"

Midna had the sudden urge to swear. "I...well...yes. Yes, I did."

"So?" her Link prompted.

"...His face isn't the same as yours," she said bluntly. Better to hit him first with it before he refused to listen. "He's not a reincarnation of fairy-boy. The faces are similar, yeah, but not exactly the same."

Her Link's face went from curious to bemused. "Eh?"

"Wasn't that why you were stalking him? You wanted to see his face, right?"

"...No, not because I thought he was a reincarnation..." Her Link had a raised eyebrow. "Really, I just thought him an odd kid, but I suppose that's good to know...?"

Midna jabbed a finger in his face. "I'm just making that point clear. He's got green eyes, too, so he's not some little Hero of Time clone."

"Why are you telling me this?" Her Link's eyes narrowed in suspicion. Midna took a deep breath, wondering last minute if she really couldn't just try and pull off a fake name and hope that everything went okay, but decided on the original truth.

"The...kid's name is Link."

* * *

Link's mind spun into over-drive, assembling all the pieces together that had slipped his notice before.

The boy was blonde.

He opened doors with his left hand, helped his grandma with his left, set his left hand on the ladder first before he began to climb, and showed signs _everywhere_ that his dominant hand was his left.

The other Link had been eleven when he had first set out from the Kokiri Forest. The boy had turned eleven today.

The boy was wearing the Hero's tunic on the day he turned eleven.

The eleventh birthday so conveniently gave the boy the right to leave the island.

A huge-ass bird had come with a mysterious girl in it's clutches, forcing the boy to take up the sword.

And was it really just coincidence that the island was named Outset Island? Outset, which means the start, the beginning?

In conclusion, Link would wager a good deal of rupees that the kid had a birthmark on his hand in the shape of three triangles that nobody on the island could understand, or he was one way or the other destined to save the world. Other than Midna's claims on the green eyes and the original face, everything fit.

"Hey, that kid's," Link jerked his head at the kid, still sprinting down the path, "named Link! So what? Just means that his parents had a weird taste in names, and he gets bonus points with me. I like him already!" he said jokingly, covering up his mental turmoil. Midna visibly breathed out a sigh of relief, apparently thinking that he hadn't begun to think what he had.

"Oh...I thought that you might..." Midna glanced at the other Link and Navi, shutting her mouth suddenly. Thanks to experience as the Hero, Link's face continued to cover his thoughts.

"Nah. You said that his face isn't a copy of ours, right?"

That bastard had ruined another person's life. Not only that, the new kid was only eleven, and might not be ready to take the pressure. Because of the legend that the other Link had created, because the Hero of Time had decided to let Ganondorf live, two people had suffered, and Link would never forgive him for it. Oh, Link was fine with his own self being the Hero, because he knew that although he might hate it, although it strained him every day to keep going, he had always taken relief the knowledge that at least it was him taking the heat and not someone else. Better to put his own self on the line than have somebody else risk themselves, Link had told himself.

But now, there was a kid who was destroying that one truth he could find relief in. Somebody else was going to take the responsibility as Hero in this alternate world with the fallen Hyrule somewhere in it's history, and Link couldn't even force the kid to stop, because he knew that his sword could not harm a mere bokoblin. But even with all that, Link couldn't stop himself from making a mental vow, a promise to the kid and himself that he didn't know how he could possibly keep, but knew he would never be able to live with himself if he didn't try.

The legend would force itself upon the boy, using the boy as it's unwilling puppet to repeat itself, over Link's dead body.


	6. Ishek

Link burst into Orca's house, and Orca whirled around. "Oh! What is the matter, Link? You have an urgent look about you... Has something happened? Whatever it is, from the look on your face I suspect it is no laughing matter..."

Out of breath from sprinting as fast as his legs would take him, Link wheezed out, "Girl...forest..."

"What say you, Link?"

"I need...sword..."

"Ah. Have you come for some serious instruction in the way of the sword?"

"Y...Yes, sir."

Orca quickly lifted the mat in the middle of the room and unlocked the trapdoor. He pulled out a sword and spear, tossing the sword to Link, who deftly caught it despite his lack of air. He put Aryll's telescope in a corner by the door, because he had no pockets and wouldn't endanger Aryll's precious gift by putting in a pocket if he had one. Then he strapped the sword to his back and drew it as he did whenever he set foot into Orca's house, regaining his breath.

"We go through the regular routine, but I will teach you three new attacks that I have been saving for this day," Orca said quietly, and Link felt confusion. Saving for this day? So Orca knew that he would someday seek to take the way of the sword seriously? Then again, why was he surprised? Very few things hid from Orca. Orca replaced the mat and stood in his normal position, so Link took his. They bowed, Orca with confidence, Link with apprehension.

It continued as usual. Orca barked out a quick yell, and Link backflipped on reflex. The skill wasn't something he could use in battle, merely a trick he had been perfecting since he was a child to amuse Aryll. Orca nodded nonetheless. "Very good! First shall be the horizontal slice!" Link complied, finding this far too easy. Well, it was warm-up, so what could he expect? They went through the vertical slice and the thrust as well, but Link's patience was wearing thin. The girl had fallen into the forest, and she needed help!

"Now the spin attack!" He blinked, and accidentally loosened his grip on his sword in surprise. Immediately, Orca smacked it out of his hand with his staff, and it clattered to the floor. Link shook out his throbbing hand, refraining from showing any more weakness, and picked it up. If Link even got close to complaining that he was tired, thirsty, or sore, Orca would give him a few whacks and tell Link to get out of his house. It had happened once, and Link didn't want to repeat the experience, especially not now when it mattered most. "The spin attack," Orca repeated calmly. He backed away, then demonstrated. Link watched with interest, almost forgetting about the girl in the forest completely with his curiosity at the new move.

After a few tries, Link got it almost right, although he fell a few times and still couldn't do it without losing his balance a little. Orca finally signaled to stop, then said, "Have you noticed that whenever an enemy attacks, he leaves himself wide open?"

"Yes, sir." No, not really, but Link wasn't going to say that. He figured that he might be able to learn as he went.

"There is a move to take advantage of this opening. The parry attack requires you to wait until the enemy is about to strike or is in the middle of his attack, then roll around him and hit this opening."

This was information that Link couldn't believe he was hearing. His grandmother thought that Orca actually taught Link sword techniques, but mostly when Orca trained him, it was just sparring while Orca gave a few tips on form that he couldn't really understand. Orca said that this was learning from experience, that sparring taught much more than just somebody teaching a few moves, and he was right to an extent. Without Orca having to show him any techniques, he had developed a few of his own, and formed what Orca called his own "style." Without a firm grounding in his sword skills, however, he still made a lot of careless errors. But to actually have Orca teach him something...it felt unreal.

"Do you understand?" Link nodded quickly. "Understanding and being able to perform it are two very different concepts. Try it," Orca commanded, and Link got into the ready position. He would attack without fear of hurting Orca, because to him, Orca was an invincible warrior who never faltered, who could never be hurt.

Half and hour later, he was sweaty and exhausted, but didn't dare complain. Orca's house seemed incredibly hot to him all of a sudden. Orca himself looked the same as he had before Link barged in on his house, not a hint of fatigue in his posture. So Link kept waiting, Link kept watching, Link kept rolling, and finally: "Good." Link barely stopped himself from breathing a sigh of relief. "Now, the jump attack. It's exactly as it sounds: jump into the air and swing your sword down from above!" Link wasn't sure if he had the energy to move, let alone jump, but somehow, after a moment, he managed to muster some strength, fly a clear two feet into the air, and slam his sword into Orca's ready staff. To his surprise, Orca actually slid backwards a little.

"Come at me once more!" Orca cried almost gleefully. The unusual display of open emotion that wasn't cold irritation at Sturgeon gave Link a shocker big enough to get him going again, and he pulled another one off. "That was a fine display!" Orca chuckled. Link would have bent double and panted for all he was worth, but he didn't want Orca to be disappointed in him, so he merely tried to take deep breaths as Orca stood, waiting. Finally, Orca spoke.

"And yet...I sense a certain anxiousness in the sword that you hold...an eagerness that goes far beyond the mere desire to be wielded on the fields of battle... I do not know what has happened..." Link didn't know either... Really, he didn't know what Orca was even talking about, but he wasn't going to say that because he didn't want to look like a doof. Orca paused, then knelt and lifted the mat again. "Take this." He offered a jug of red liquid. "It's red potion. It heals most wounds, as long as they are not extreme, and relieves one of fatigue. You're tired, so I don't think you'll mind the taste." At that last part, Link cast a dubious look at the now ominous-looking red color, but lifted it to his lips anyway. Orca warned, rather unnecessarily, "It does _not_ cure illness. Remember that."

He didn't plan to drink all of it, but from Orca's glare when he tried to give it back half-full, Orca wouldn't take no for an answer. It tasted like a rotten raspberry tart with far too much salt in it, but after you got through the initial taste, it was all overpowered by a strong spicy tang. Despite the taste it did have the promised effect, and Link was no longer exhausted, or felt like he like no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't move fast enough. Only when everything in the jug was gone did Orca take it back and take out a small pouch from under the mat. "It straps to the back of your belt," Orca explained. "Sturgeon and I found it on our travels. It seems there is no limit to the amount of items it can hold, and size and weight matters not to this little tool."

"Eh? So...I can just put loads of stuff in there, and it'll never get full?" Link's eyes lit up. All the food he could sneak out of the pantry for Aryll with this nifty thing!

Orca nodded. "Indeed. The only reason I can find for it's properties is magic."

"Magic explains a lot of unexplainables, doesn't it?" Link grinned as he repeated the words that Orca himself had once told Link, strapping the pouch to his belt as he did.

To somebody who did not know Orca as Link did, the eyebrow twitch could be taken for a sign of annoyance, but Link had had years to identify all the little signs Orca gave off that indicated humor. "It does. Now, about the sword... I have faith in you. Somehow, I doubt that you will misuse that sword... You may have it, Link. I give it freely. Take the blade with you..." Link nodded, remembering why he was in Orca's house in the first place. "Since the olden days, this sword has been used to fend off evil... Its blade is infused with the desire to become strong and righteous."

There was a brief hesitation, while Orca blinked slowly, as if something he himself said had struck a chord in his mind. Finally, Orca simply said, "Be strong, Link." Orca bowed, and Link imitated, somewhat awkwardly. Then he turned, seized Aryll's telescope, placed it carefully in the pouch, wrenched open the door and sprinted back outside with the urgency back in his stride.

* * *

Orca shook his head, placing his spear against his bed. It was remarkable how the boy hadn't even bothered to think of telling an adult, and immediately assumed it was his duty to rescue the girl. Of course Orca had seen the entire ordeal with the bird and the girl, but he still let Link take care of it himself. The girl had fallen into the forest, which, in Orca's opinion, just made the whole situation better.

Don't assume that Orca didn't know exactly what lay in wait for Link within the Fairy Forest.

* * *

"Okay. What the hell are we doing again?"

"The boy Link is destined for great things, and he will fail if he is not capable with the sword."

"But that doesn't mean you have to _attack_ the kid!"

"You have any better ideas?" There was only a grunt in response. "Exactly. ...Hmm. You're right; it does feel slimy."

For Link, who was used to a more simple two-layered tunic with no fancy straps and such, not even the chain-mail that the other Link possessed, to put on the Zora Armor was unreasonably hard. First there was some sort of leotard-elastic jumpsuit, which the tunic itself over. The chain-mail—or rather, the scale-mail—was separate from the tunic, and there were actually two layers, one which went over the tunic and one that went underneath, although Link couldn't see the point of this. Then, the tunic had a complex folding system that Link couldn't remember at all and blindly let Navi help him through most of it, and finally the second coat of scale-mail went on. Then there were those ridiculous flippers, which Link bluntly refused to wear, pointing out how even though it might help in the water, it would only impede his movement if he wore it on land. Thus, he wore his regular boots that had been a part of his usual green tunic. But the headpiece had been a disaster, with Link never being able to figure out how to get it to sit straight on his head even after five whole minutes of struggling, and the other Link had watched him the entire time, snickering. Not that Link had expected him to help, whatwith his personality and the way he normally acted.

Normally acted...exactly what Link hadn't expected the other Link to do. Link had expected the other Link to be distraught over the kid's name and the way too convenient coincedences that hinted at the boy becoming the new Hero, but the other Link seemed fine. In fact, the other Link didn't appeared to be fazed by it at all, and it was exactly that indifference that worried Link. Having seen the other Link's every memory, he knew about that tendency he had developed recently to hide troubling emotions, so Link found himself distrustful of the taunting smirk or scowling face, constantly wondering what really went on behind.

Then there was Link's own personal reaction to the kid's name, which couldn't differ more from the other Link's. If there indeed was another Hero about to be made, wouldn't that mean that there was a hope that Hyrule wasn't gone forever? Indeed, the bokoblin in the forest could have been sent there by Ganondorf, since in both timelines, Ganondorf had broken free of his prisons and returned to finish what he had started. To Link, the fact that the kid might restart the legend of the Hero over again brought a spark of hope, a single ember that would either die or live depending on the way the wind blew. He would turn the boy into a Hero, in hopes that the boy might find Hyrule, hidden somewhere in this world, during his travels.

So here Link was, preparing to pretend to be a mysterious Sheik-like enemy who challenges the kid before he enters the forest. If Link pulled the mask on the Zora Armor up so it covered his mouth and half of his nose, only his eyes and cheekbones showed, due to the headpiece that sat low over his forehead. Then Navi reminded him that the Zora Armor mask was pretty much the exact same thing as his hat, showing the eyes, and therefore he could be recognizable if he were ever caught as himself with only his hat wrapped around his face. So Link had went through his pouch, not really thinking he would find anything, but turned up with year-old blue potion at the bottom of his bag. Thus he discovered that if the potion was left alone for that long, it congealed into a thick gel. Of course, the bottle contents had made everybody nearby gag at the repulsive stench that burst forth when Link popped the cork, but it was still rather convenient to use as face paint to dye the showing parts of his face a dark blue that blended in almost seamlessly with the shades of the Zora Armor mask. Link was in the middle of putting the finishing touches when the other Link sat up from the spot he had been lying, watching the village half-heartedly with his Hawkeye.

"He's coming out. Hurry up and finish using that nasty crap, I feel like I'm going to be sick," the other Link called, and Link sped it up. Smearing one last glop on, he tugged on the gloves and stood ready in front of the bridge, only his sword in hand. The other Link led Midna to a higher ledge on the mountain, who was dragging a reluctant Navi with her.

The Zora Armor felt slimy, but it helped to keep Link cool in the heat, so the wait for the kid wasn't too bad. But Link heard the child approaching, Link began to feel slightly uneasy. The kid wouldn't take him seriously if he used a wooden sword (not that he had one, anyway) and they had no blunt metal swords, so Link had had no choice but to use his regular sword, which was sharp and fully able to lop off a head. Could he pull this off, testing the boy's strength, while making sure nobody got hurt? He reminded himself of the plan as the boy began to come into view: parry all attacks, and only strike with the flat of the blade when the boy shows an opening. If the kid was better than that, then perhaps he could push a little harder, but that was yet to be decided.

The young Link's face was clearly different from Link's own, but Midna had been right. There were similarities, and one might think that they were related, but it still was not the younger model that would clearly state straight out that the young Link was destined to be a Hero. The boy caught sight of Link, stared for a moment with wide eyes, and then squeaked in surprise—wait, _squeaked_? Link was beginning to worry about the boy, and if he was really up for the task.

Oh, definitely, there was some work to be done if this boy was going to be the Hero...either that, or they were all doomed. Doomed from what, Link didn't know for sure, but knew that the bokoblin in the forest wasn't there on accident.

* * *

It was a random thought, yes, but the very first thing that flew through Link's mind as he saw the...whatever it was...was: I'm wearing pretty much all green, and I have green eyes; he's wearing pretty much all blue, and he's got blue eyes. If it's even human. And then he realized that the figure barring entrance to the suspension bridge held a sword in it's gloved fingers, and actually squeaked in shock, much to his chagrin.

The figure's face was entirely blue, and Link was beginning to wonder what it was, because he was sure that nobody had blue skin with no mouth. It took him a while to realize that it must be some sort of mask...although that still didn't explain why all of the person's skin was blue. He almost thought that there were an extra set of eyes on top of the person's head, but realized it was only an ornamental helmet-ish thing, and there were scales on the chest that Link desperately hoped were just armor and this person wasn't some sort of fish-man. However, what it wore was a tunic similar to his own, and as the breeze picked up, he glimpsed what he thought was a long cap.

"W-Who are you!" he yelled. Link had barely prevented himself from saying, "What are you," but altered course last minute to save the person's feelings.

It seemed to think for a moment, then whispered, "Ishek." His voice wasn't exactly coarse, because of a puzzling smoothness to it, but wasn't...clear? Was that the word? Putting it into words was hard, even for words that weren't supposed to describe the voice. The only way he could describe Ishek's voice was...foggy.

"Erm, okay, Mister Ishek...could you please move? I need to go through." Link made a waving movement with his hands, his face pleading. "You're kind of blocking the path, and I need to help this girl, so...yeah." Wow, he felt lame.

He could almost see the incredulity in Ishek's eyes, almost saying, "You've got to be kidding me, right? You're asking permission, when you've got a sword on your back?" But Ishek didn't utter a single noise and merely lowered himself into a fighting stance.

"Waitwaitwait, I don't want to fight you!" Link cried in panic. It wasn't that he was afraid, or tired from his training with Orca, but he had brought the sword with him as a precaution, not because he had expected to have to use it. The sword on his back was sharp, as it should be, but that was exactly why he was loathe to bring it out. Ishek didn't move."We can talk this out! Really, it's—"

"Do you fear me?"

Link stopped, staring. "...No, not exactly," he admitted after a moment, and it was the truth. Link didn't know who or what Ishek was, but that inspired more curiosity than terror. It was just that Link was afraid somebody might be hurt, and by somebody, it wasn't himself he was referring to.

"Draw your sword, Link."

"How do you know my name?" Link demanded.

"I know many things that people should never know." The way Ishek said it didn't allow any more questions. "Draw, or you will never pass."

Biting his lip, he slowly set his left on the sword hilt, and winced at the shrill screech of the blade being drawn. They both were in a fighting stance, staring at each other, and Link found the blue eyes remarkably like Orca's: unreadable, cool, and firm. Neither made a move, with both apparently waiting for the other.

Link didn't move because he wanted Ishek to change his mind, but it seemed that Ishek thought differently. Sturgeon had once told him that some fighters never made the first move purely so they could use the opponents attack to their advantage, and Orca had supported the idea today with the parry attack he had just taught Link. If such a convenient technique as the parry attack existed, then fighters could wait until the other struck first, and then retaliate. To Link, it seemed that Ishek waited for Link for that purpose, his steely blue eyes harsh and cold.

Finally, Ishek stabbed forward without warning, and Link hopped to the right and rolled behind Ishek as Orca had taught him, swiping at Ishek's open back. Ishek whipped around with speed Link immediately classified as inhuman and easily parried the attack that was supposed to be unblockable, at the same time cleverly forcing Link back from the bridge opening. Link's arm trembled from the shock of the contact, the clang of the metal ringing in his ears. "The back-slice?" Ishek asked, a slight confused undertone to his words. "How do you know that technique?"

"It's the parry attack," Link corrected. "Uncle Orca taught it to me."

Ishek didn't say anything for a while, then shook his head slightly. "Either way, it is the same attack, and in that attack, you did not aim to kill," Ishek stated flatly, his foggy voice losing it's quality for a second, as if Ishek's voice was actually not so mysterious and odd-sounding. As if, Link thought briefly before he dismissed the thought, Ishek was faking his voice.

His own tone taking a slight whiny edge, Link complained, "I don't want to kill you! I don't want anybody to get hurt!" The swing Link had taken at Ishek's back hadn't been even remotely close to harming Ishek. If Ishek had never moved, Ishek still wouldn't have been touched.

"How...naive." He blinked, taken aback. Ishek continued, "You will have to make choices: hurt, or be hurt. Kill, or let people around you die. You will have to decide what is good and what is bad, separating the white and the black from a mess of gray, and defend the good by dealing pain upon the bad."

"What the heck?" Link asked, confused. "I'm not some protector of the world, okay? It's my eleventh birthday, and I'm not even going to go off the island. I'm just me!"

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," Link answered confidently.

"So be it," Ishek replied, then lunged at Link. He didn't want to risk contact between the blades again, worried about his grip, so Link sidestepped instead. The speed of Ishek's thrust, Link noticed, was quite slower than Ishek had displayed he was capable of, and Link began to worry if Ishek was toying with him or not. Of course, even with that purposely slower attack, Link had only barely gotten out of the way in time.

Tentatively, he stabbed at Ishek's open right shoulder, and Ishek easily batted it away. Faith in Ishek's guard growing, Link twisted away and retaliated with a horizontal slice that, unlike his other attacks, would have put a shallow gash in Ishek's stomach had he not blocked. Ishek nodded approvingly, then smacked Link hard on his unguarded left rib with the flat of his blade. Link yelped, retreating. There would be a bruise there afterwards, Link was sure of it.

"Nobody prevents you from calling for help," Ishek pointed out.

Link rubbed his side, still holding his sword in the ready position. "Yeah, but..." Link tried to find a reason why he wouldn't, but couldn't find one, so he simply finished, "I don't want to."

"If you wanted to, you would?"

"Yep!" Link announced proudly, grinning. "I do what I want, and nobody tells me otherwise." Ishek shook his head, then attacked, and they were at it again.

It seemed that Ishek only attacked when there was a hole in his guard, which was almost every five seconds, and Link was so busy trying to cover everything he forgot about the bridge and the girl for the second time that day. He couldn't remember having to move this fast, or being so frustrated that he couldn't move quickly enough. The original bruise on his right had been joined by several others as the fight progressed. Link began to forget that his opponent wasn't invincible; with the impenetrable guard Ishek had, it was almost as if none of Link's attacks would touch him, and Link was beginning to get frustrated. It didn't help that Link was tired again, and Ishek seemed fresh as ever.

Link's attacks became much more potentially lethal as Link forgot that this person was not immortal, and would never fail to block his attacks as Ishek had so far. Finally, though, Ishek almost deliberately lowered his sword a little too much, creating the first opening in Ishek's guard the entire battle, and Link went for it, assuming that Ishek would knock away the swing as always. Yet, Link's blade cut a shallow line across his chest, slicing through the glittering scales that Link had assumed were armor.

"Ah—I'm sorry! No, really, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to—" Link cried, scared that Ishek had been hurt, but Ishek shook his head to silence him.

"You went for the opening. That is good. I am unharmed, anyway." Dropping his guard completely, Ishek's sword lay limp at his side, as he pulled the rip wider, showing another layer of protective scales underneath. "I retreat for now. The girl is waiting for your aid."

"W-Wait! You might be injured—"

But Ishek was walking backwards towards the cliff, pausing at the very edge. "We will meet again, Link." And then Ishek fell, Link yelled out and ran to the edge, watching with fear as Ishek hit the water head-first and didn't reappear.

"...He better be fine," Link muttered to himself, hopping anxiously from foot to foot, green eyes darting from the water to the bridge and back again. "He better..." Then Link glared angrily at his sword, as if it had betrayed him, and shoved it back in it's sheath with more force than necessary. He crossed the suspension bridge with caution, not wanting to fall off, glancing back at the water every few steps. He shuddered. For a moment, he had truly believed he had wounded Ishek.

And if that was what if felt like to hurt somebody, Link didn't want to ever see blood on his sword.

* * *

I think that I get an excuse for changing Orca's words so much. I really don't think that if Orca were a real person, he would tell his student to "L-target, then tilt control stick up and press B" to thrust because he would sound like a loony. I also found it highly improbable that Link, without any previous experience, could learn to use a sword in less than ten minutes, so I made it so Link isn't a complete n00b at swordfighting. Perhaps I could make an excuse for such a learning spurt if he had the Triforce of Courage, but right now, it's still somewhere out there under the Great Sea. And Link needs to get his magic sack thing somewhere, right? I find that whole hammerspace concept hilarious, actually, and I'm not really sure why... If the first part with Orca teaching Link was boring, sorry. I myself don't think that the part with Orca was acceptable in the slightest, although I like the three lines from Orca's POV. Other than that, the whole first half was boring, with a capital B.

My first stab at a fighting scene! I won't say I think it's great, but I think I didn't fail too pathetically, either. Hopefully.

And WW Link gets another mental issue! He's got...what, three now?

Finally, Ishek's name is actually a quite simple little trick. Believe me, I'm not that imaginative with names to come up with that kind of word. Can you guess where I got it? I wouldn't be surprised if you realized the trick from the moment you saw the name, because it's so obvious...


	7. Light and the Absence of

Link was worried for the kid. Sure, his swords skills were crappy, and the other Link must have been using less than a tenth of his real skill to deal with the kid, but the kid was dangerous enough to take down a bokoblin. Bokoblins weren't exactly hard to dispatch.

And that was exactly what sent Link hurtling over the bridge after the kid.

The other Link would take a while to get back up the mountain from his escape, even with Navi diving down the cliff face to find him, so it was up to Link and Midna to help the kid as much as they could. Actually, there wasn't much they could do, because they could neither kill the bokoblin themselves, nor even show themselves to boy, but what else could they do? Link sure wasn't going to let the boy go into the forest alone, and he could tell that Midna wasn't either. Making sure the shirt sleeves were tied firmly around his face, he sprinted the last stretch of land, slowing down as he reached the cave opening.

When Link crept through the entrance, he easily found the boy was standing in the middle of the area, examining the tall ledge that separated him from the girl who dangled from a tree branch. How in Hyrule she had gotten her shirt caught like that, Link didn't know, but the point was that she was unconscious and _very_ high up. At least, Link hoped she was just unconscious, and not dead. Link immediately analyzed the area from his experience with those endless temples and his past adventure into the forest, and realized that one would have to go around, through the clearing with the bokoblin, and into another clearing that Link had seen from his previous visit here but hadn't ventured into. Probably then one would be high enough to get to the girl's ledge. The boy was taking a bit more time to reach that conclusion, but eventually the kid nodded to himself and began making his way towards the bokoblin.

Link threw caution out the window and came within a mere six feet of the boy, watching as the kid rounded the corner, froze, and darted behind a nearby tree. The boy's bright green eyes were wide, the color made even more vivid with the conflicting emotions that were obvious through his face. What was curious, though, was that he seemed more frightened by the thought of having to hurt the monster, because the boy slowly took out his sword and held it gingerly with two fingers. He remembered boy's reluctance to hurt the other Link, and all doubt of his theory vanished. Link hoped to the Goddesses that the boy had meant what he had said back by the bridge: "I do what I want, and nobody tells me otherwise." If the kid really wanted to, he could bail out now and run for an adult, but the boy didn't. Did he feel that he had to rescue the girl? No, even then, he could ask for that old geezer Orca's help.

Link was envious of the boy. _He _could back out of it...at least, Link hoped. If there was that telltale symbol on the kid's hand...

"Ohoho, what a sweet kid," Midna breathed, disappearing into his shadow for convenience and stealth reasons, but her voice still floated upwards. "He doesn't want to hurt the widdle bokobwin, now dwoes he? Somebody's got to get this kid to grow up."

Link retorted, "I like him how he is. If he wants to be a kid, he'll be a kid. I'm not forcing him to turn into an adult." Midna didn't respond from his shadow, for some reason.

The kid was tossing his sword from hand to hand, glancing from the bokoblin to the sword. He began to step out, and Link sucked in a breath, but the boy lost his nerve and retreated back behind the tree. Link found himself with a large amount of patience for the kid, settling himself to wait for the kid to come into his own, which was very uncharacteristic of him. But if the boy didn't want to, he supposed that he might be able to find a way to somehow get the kid high enough to scale the wall that separated them from the girl, therefore avoiding the bokoblin—

Wait. The boy clearly didn't have the resources to do that by himself, but Link did.

"Pfft," Link let out a mocking breath, ridiculing himself. He eyed the boy, making sure he wasn't looking, then stood upright and tried to reach the top of the ledge from where he was on a small ledge himself. It was perhaps six inches from his hand if he raised it high over his head, but still, it wasn't within his reach. Link didn't even have to ask Midna, and felt his bones shifting and rearranging themselves, morphing and grinding against each other, while a furious itch burned under his skin before it broke out in thick fur. All in all, it wasn't exactly pleasant to turn into a wolf, and Link shook himself out in a vain attempt to get rid of the lingering traces of the itch. Midna flew to the top of the ledge and beckoned as usual, but her visible eye was fixed firmly on the kid nearby, watching for any sign that he had noticed the extremely odd events occurring right under his nose.

Once he was on the ledge, Midna slipped back under his shadow, transforming him back into a Hylian at the same time. She knew it wasn't his preference to stay as a wolf, and he tried to avoid the form if he could help it, although sometimes he enjoyed the heightened senses and agility. It all really depended on his mood. The ledge he crouched on was actually quite thin, being only two feet in width, but that wasn't a problem for Link. If he walked a bit down this narrow path, he would eventually get to the tree where the girl was dangling, so he cast one last glance back at the kid and crept swiftly to the girl's tree. By rescuing her, Link could remove the point of having to kill the bokoblin, and therefore the kid's dilemma.

He didn't even have to be right up close to her to tell that she would grow to be a fine young lady with a face that would surely bring in many suitors. Grow, as in she looked to be only around the boy's age. Tied up in a style of bun that Link had never seen before, the golden hair color was a lot like the other Link's Princess Zelda, the one who used the Ocarina of Time to send the other Link back in time and create this whole mess with the alternate Hyrules. Speaking of Princess Zelda, he remembered how both Princesses from both the other Link's time and his own had strips of hair in front of their ears, as did this girl. It was probably just a coincidence, though. It wasn't exactly an uncommon hairstyle; just look at the kid, who had pretty much the same thing. Not only that, Link realized with a snort that he himself had something similar.

But aside from her odd hair style and color, he noted with glee that she had light sandals instead of shoes or boots, glad that somebody other than Midna knew exactly how liberating sandals and going barefoot could feel. She had a small cutlass at her hip, and from the calluses on her hands, she knew how to use it. Link gingerly poked the bandages around her wrists, and sure enough, he could feel throwing knives hidden inside. Her blue vest was flapping open, and blades glinted from inner pockets. This girl wasn't a pirate for nothing. She might have a pretty face, but she wasn't a girl Link wanted to mess with, Triforce of Courage or no.

"Alright, let's bring her down and set her somewhere the boy will see her. We ain't got all day," Midna hissed, impatient, and materialized by him. Link glared at her, trying to figure out how he could bring her down without touching her. Even with his best efforts, there wasn't any he could think of. Midna urged, "Screw your weird personal space complex! Let's move!"

"Okay, okay, give me some time!" Link sighed, looking back at the kid one last time to make sure that the kid was still there. Sure enough, the kid was staring hard at the blade, still not finding it within himself to slay the monster.

You know, I'm kind of hungry," Midna commented, yawning widely. It was completely off topic, but Midna tended to act on whims, anyway. "I mean, we didn't eat today, we didn't eat at all yesterday, and...hey, the last time we ate was before we assembled the Mirror of Twilight! Geez, that was almost two days ago!"

"I've got some of the Yeti's soup," Link offered, glad to take his mind off having to actually carry a person. "It's cold, but it's still good."

Midna eyed him skeptically. "What about you?"

"I'm fine."

"No wonder you're nothing but muscle," Midna scoffed, but waved her hand to refuse the offer anyway. "And if I don't eat, I'll never have to listen to those annoying Twili counselors again, always bugging me about how I need to stay skinny, being a role model, blah blah blah. So! Just hurry up and bring the girl down."

"Alright..." He carefully wrapped his hands around the girl's middle, realizing exactly how big he was compared to her, when a little golden light began to shine.

For a long, long second, Link and Midna did nothing but stare at the back of Link's hand, where his Triforce of Courage resonated. It was a simple matter of process of elimination. Ganondorf was not dead in this timeline (not that he wasn't in Link's timeline, either), so he had the Triforce of Power, and Link assumed the boy had the Triforce of Courage. Therefore, this girl had the Triforce of Wisdom, which was a hereditary heirloom of the Royal Family that wasn't supposed to leave the bloodline. His hand stayed there for a moment, his fingers just barely touching her stomach, then Link jerked his hand away as if burned and Midna put a hand to her mouth, chuckling. "Oho, so Miss Pirate isn't so boyish, is she?"

"...Damn," was all Link could say, at loss for a better word.

"Oi, the kid over there is on the move," Midna said, changing the subject completely _again_. "Is he seriously going to kill the bokoblin?"

"Dunno, but I want to watch." Link hopped off the ledge, once again separating himself from the girl, and absently apologized to Midna's angry protests about how he had just wasted her efforts with the whole wolf-jump trick. If the kid was going to kill the bokoblin, then it was no longer necessary for Link to rescue the girl. Even scrambling as fast as he could without making too much racket, however, he only caught the bokoblin falling, and the boy shuddering uncontrollably. Then the boy hoisted himself onto a tree stump and jumped to a higher ledge, disappearing as he crawled up a log to another clearing.

Link ran to the bokoblin, shocked that the kid had actually done the deed, and facepalmed when the bokoblin twitched. The boy had only hit it with the flat of his sword, knocking the bokoblin out, which would explain the kid's less-than-dramatic reaction. It was almost like cheating, although it was a rather effective way solve the problem, Link had to give him that. "Smart kid," Link murmured, smiling.

Inhuman screeches from the next clearing ripped through the forest silence, and Link snapped back into action. "What the hell is going on over there?" he muttered angrily, his irritation coming not from the annoying sounds, but from the fear of the kid having to deal with _more_ monsters. Yet, by the time Link had gotten his head up in a position to watch, both bokoblins had visible lumps on their ugly heads, and the boy still looked squeamish at just putting a bruise on the monsters.

"He can't even handle that. Oh Goddesses, what a pathetic squirt," Midna sighed, tutting as if she pitied the poor boy, but stopped when Link clapped his hand over her mouth in an attempt to silence her before the kid heard her voice, which had rose just a little too loud. Link whispered one of the dirtier cuss words he had picked up at Telma's bar and ducked back out of sight as the kid whirled around, looking for the high, mocking voice that had called him a pathetic squirt.

Link hissed, "Midna! If he heard and realizes it wasn't just his imagination, we're going to be in deep sh—"

"Who's there?" the kid called, curiosity in his tone.

"Oh...crapcrapcrapcrapcrap," Link muttered to himself as he sprinted behind a giant rock, briefly glancing at the sign that said something about a fairy fountain, and prayed to Farore that the kid wouldn't think to look here. Although he probably would.

"Hello?" The boy's voice was coming closer, and when Link looked frantically at her for ideas, Midna raised her arms to signal she didn't know what the hell they were going to do. After a moment, she motioned to show that at least the cloth around his face would protect him somewhat if they were found. Link glared at her, and jabbed his finger in the general direction of the kid, and then her. Midna tapped her finger against her chin, then pointed at his shadow in solution. Link perked up, getting an idea, then motioned to his shadow, then imitated the confused motions of Sturgeon and Mesa. Midna shook her head, and he glared at her. She shook her head again, more adamantly, and shrugged, as if to say, Maybe it would be better if he found us. Link shook his head wildly, mouthing the word No! and bit his lip when he heard the kid's voice again, which effectively ended the little sign language display. "I know that you're there!"

There was a sharp cry, and it sounded like the girl had woken up. Peeking out from behind the rock, Link saw the kid hesitating, then clambering back up the log. Midna did a little jig in mid-air, silently gloating over the narrow escape, and Link felt a smile tug at his lips. Then Link followed the boy with Midna right behind him, albeit both of them a lot more cautiously, and they didn't dare venture any closer than the fallen log. The girl was squirming, trying to get off the branch, and Midna laughed silently at her vain attempts that included much embarrassing arm wiggling and whining. "All princesses really are weak," Midna chuckled.

"And this is coming from...?"

"Okay, shut up."

"Of course, O Twilight Princess." Midna smacked his head, but he kept grinning to himself. "We don't know for sure that she's the princess, anyway... Just because my Triforce was resonating, doesn't mean that she's part of the Royal Family. She's a pirate; she could have stolen the Triforce piece somewhere...although that is highly unlikely..." The branch snapped, and with one last squeal, the girl hit the ground with a crash. Both Link and the kid winced, and Link muttered, "Ooh, that looks like it hurt."

Midna chuckled dryly and stretched her arms, looking bored. "Good for her. Maybe next time she won't be so pathetic, get kidnapped by an overgrown bird, and have to get rescued like a damsel in distress. If she's going to be a princess, at least try do some things by herself instead of leaving it all up to a little kid with an obsession with green." Link's eyebrow twitched.

The kid ran over to her as she picked herself up, brushing her white pants off. She gasped, "Ooowwwwch!" As soon as the boy climbed up, she stared at his green outfit and pointed hat. Link couldn't blame her, really. The boy shifted a bit under her scrutiny, and his face angled so that Link could see a bit of a blush on his cheeks.

Midna cackled, "Oolala, I think he's smitten!" Clearly, this was the first time the kid had ever met a pretty girl. Link thought, I pity the poor guy...

"Wow. What's with that get-up?" The pirate girl raised an eyebrow, eyes narrowed.

"Exactly!" Midna whispered with relish. "Honestly, it's a green dre--"

"It's a _tunic_," Link growled before she could get the word out.

"Same difference. It's even got _leggings_, for the love of—"

Link glared at her, and she smirked, but left it at that.

The girl dismissed the boy, and continued, "Well, whatever. So, where am I...?" She paused, and stared off at a point somewhere in front of her. "Oh, that's right! That giant bird came and..."

"Miss! MISS TETRA!"

"Whoever this newcomer is, from his voice, he sounds like a dumbass," Midna commented immediately. Link couldn't help but agree with her. Although they couldn't see this new person, from his deep, dull voice, he did sound like he wasn't the sharpest knife in the drawer.

Both kids hopped off the ledge towards the voice, and Link took their place underneath the tree the girl, apparently named Tetra, had been hanging. It looked to be one of the pirates, although he certainly didn't act like one. He acted a lot more like...how should Link put it? A worried mother? The pirate calmed himself down, taking deep breaths, and gasped out, "Oh! Oh, thank... Thank goodness! You're safe!"

Oh yes, definitely a worried mother. What the hell was up with these pirates? One had a piece of the Triforce and the other was nearly in tears!

The pirate whined, "When I saw you get dropped on this summit, I thought for sure you'd..." The boy was standing by, looking awkward as he fidgeted in place. Link was sure that if he were in the kid's shoes, he wouldn't be doing much better.

"Summit?" Tetra snarled. "So that bird dropped me on the top of a _mountain_?"

Link nearly laughed, Tetra reminded him so much of Ilia. He could hear Ilia scolding him: _"Link! How could you! You were pushing Epona too hard again! I bet you hurt her leg jumping fences, didn't you!"_

"Uh-oh, princess is going to throw a hissy fit," Midna giggled, her voice border-lining on audible to the two pirates and the boy.

"Well, wasn't that nice of it!" Link could only partially see Tetra's face, but her blue eyes were narrowed in malicious cunning. She hurried off, then motioned for the pirate to follow her. "Well, don't just stand there! _Let's go_! Time to repay our debt to that bird in full!"

"Whoa, she's giving orders to the muscle-man over there!" Midna said.

"He did call her 'Miss Tetra,' so obviously she's a high-ranking somebody on their ship," Link pointed out.

The pirate motioned to the boy. "But, Miss... What about this boy?"

"Don't worry about him. Come on!" Tetra called from the entrance, almost already gone.

"Rather rude little princess, ain't she?" Midna commented.

"I kind of like her."

"She's so bossy!" Midna complained. "She treats the kid over there like dirt!"

"What a hypocrite."

Midna huffed, crossing her arms. "I'm not that mean to you..."

"Haha."

The pirate gave one last glance at the kid, then hurried after Tetra. The kid began to follow, then stopped in his tracks. He turned around and cast a sweeping stare over the forest, and Link had to duck out of sight for what felt like the millionth time today. "...I know that somebody's here," the kid called in the forest silence, "but I can't find you... I'll come back and catch you, though!" Then the boy dashed off after the two pirates, leaving Link alone with Midna.

"Yeah, well, I won't be here to be caught, kid," he mumbled to himself, then exited the forest after them.

Hiding in the shadow of the cave entrance, he watched the kid stop next to Tetra, and heard the cry, "'Hoy! Big Brother!" Link saw the girl Aryll across the bridge, grinning and waving.

"Wait, what's she doing here? Wasn't she the one who said it might be too dangerous to come up here without a weapon?" Midna said, raising an eyebrow.

"Did she? I wasn't there," Link reminded her.

The boy laughed, obviously delighted to see his sister, and raised an arm to wave back. Aryll giggled, already walking across the bridge to meet up with her brother. Midna picked at her nails. "Alright, sappy reunion scene. Nothing interesting is going to happen, so I'm taking a break. See you later!" She dropped into his shadow, and Link turned his eyes back to the girl crossing the bridge.

Link sensed the bird before he saw it or even heard it. It was a gut feeling that he couldn't quite place, not really knowing what was wrong, but knew that something wasn't right here. That little gut feeling had been developed as he duty as Hero, and it had saved his life quite a few times, so he knew to never doubt it. Finally, he heard a faint, distant shriek, and glanced around to find the source, but couldn't see anything. "Did you hear that?" he whispered to his shadow, taking his eyes off the group in front of him. There was no answer, indicating that she didn't know either, and suddenly the kid screamed. Link looked back at the bridge, and the bird was closing his talons around Aryll, who shrieked in fright.

What caught his attention, though, was the kid's face as he watched the bird begin it's flight back to wherever it was supposed to go. It was sheer agony, just looking at his sister being kidnapped, and Link's own eyes widened at the emotional torment that was so plainly written on the kid's face.

"BROTHER!" the girl cried, and it only served to increase the fear and pain on the boy's face. Tetra turned when she heard the kid draw his sword, and Link realized what the kid was going to do.

"Sweet Farore," he swore, as the kid began running off the cliff, his eyes fixed on the bird and nothing else. He's forgotten he was on the top of a mountain, the fool. Both Tetra and Link leapt forward, the pirate following close behind, and the kid didn't realize he was falling until his feet met nothing but empty air. Tetra and Link clasped their hands around the kid's at the same time, trying to restrain the wild kid.

"What the—Where'd you come from!" Tetra shrieked, shocked at the sight of the strange person with half of his face obscured by a makeshift mask. The expression her face was priceless, a moment of sheer surprise that Link had tried prank after prank to catch a glimpse of on Ilia's features, but Link wasn't exactly in the mood to savor it.

"Goddessdammit, girl, stop screeching in my ear like a ReDead!" he yelled back, wincing at the slight ache that had already set itself into his sensitive ears.

"I said, who are you!" she shouted, even though they were shoulder to shoulder. That time, he ignored her, busy trying to get the kid to calm down while hiding his glowing left hand, which had activated again after being so close to Tetra and the boy. The kid didn't notice anything, still trying to follow his sister, not accepting the fact that he was dangling off a cliff and his sister was already a mile away.

"Kid! Calm down!" Link cried, shaking the kid roughly. The boy didn't listen in the slightest, and just wiggled harder, and Link snatched the kid's other hand, the one with the sword in it. He leaned over the cliff, lifting the kid slightly as he did. "LISTEN TO ME!" he bellowed in the kid's pointed ear, and the boy froze.

"Exactly! Stupid kid!" Tetra grunted, trying to keep her grip on the kid's wrist. "Get ahold of yourself! She's gone! There's nothing you can do."

Link let Tetra take care of the kid's right arm, while he tugged on the other one, trying to help Tetra haul the kid back up, when he realized which hand he was holding. The left one. He could see a distinct yellow eye in his shadow, examining the hand as he did with interest. This hand was supposed to have the Triforce of Courage on it, but the back of the kid's hand was clearly unblemished, with not a single trace of gold on it.

_What?_

The boy was just sitting on the edge, looking dazed and lost, and Tetra turned back to Link. "Where the hell did you come from? How did you sneak up on us?" Link ignored her again, much more concerned with the forlorn expression on the boy's face. It the boy wasn't even registering that some complete stranger had just saved him from falling off a cliff, then obviously this kidnapping had hurt him bad.

"Kid."

The boy didn't look at Link, just twitched. He didn't seem to recognize the fact that he'd never seen Link before. Link wondered briefly why he was talking to the kid more than he had to, then continued quietly, "You said that you did what you wanted, and nobody tells you otherwise, right?"

Silence.

"You want her back, right?"

Silence.

Link put a hand on his shoulder. "Then you go get her back. No bird is going to tell you otherwise."

"She's gone," the kid said finally, his voice anguished. "Gone. And I can't follow her."

"Yes, you can."

"How?" the kid asked dully, obviously not really expecting an answer.

"Figure it out, Link. I'd say you've got a pretty big boat right under your nose." Then Link sprinted across the bridge before Tetra could demand more answers, or the kid remember that this was the second stranger to know his name. The sight of the kid's left hand was almost burned into his mind, so wonderfully Triforce of Courage-less. Funny, how the absence of light could lift Link's spirits.

Perhaps there was hope for the kid, a ray of light to believe in. Perhaps the kid would not be shackled to the dead weight the Hero of Time had created, where free will was but a mere fantasy.

* * *

Well, I'll be honest: I don't really like this chapter. Something about it isn't interesting for me. Maybe I'm just so obsessed with the pirate ship that everything else isn't as fun...


	8. Shield

If you're going to get a riddle out of me, it's going to be a number riddle. I'm no good at regular riddles.

* * *

"What? You want to come with us on our ship?"

Link wasn't entirely sure what he was doing either, but he nodded. Tetra narrowed her eyes and glared at him, while the pirate named Gonzo stood by, looking doubtful of the idea. "Do you understand what you're asking? We're pirates! You know... _pirates_! The terror of the seas!" Yeah, Link knew, but he didn't have any other means of transportation. "What do we get out of bringing some helpless little kid along with us?" Link clenched his teeth together at the word helpless, finding so much truth. If he were stronger, then perhaps he could have protected Aryll... "I'll tell you what we get...a headache."

Tetra shook her head, glaring down at the sand. "Geez, just because that weirdo suggested it..." True, Link was following the instructions of the mystery person he hadn't even bothered to look at in his shock, but Tetra had told him that it was a blonde, blue-eyed man who looked around seventeen, wearing something like a mask around his face. At first he had thought it was Ishek again, connecting "mask" and "blue eyes" to his earlier foe, but Tetra had told him that the person had been wearing a white shirt and faded blue pants, not the bizarre costume that Ishek wore. Did Ishek change out of his clothes? But wasn't Ishek a fish-man with blue skin? Things had gotten so confusing since this morning...

Tetra sighed, bringing him back to the real world, "I know how you must feel, with your sister having been kidnapped and all... But that doesn't really have anything to do with us, now does it?"

"And how do you figure that...?"

Everybody turned towards the voice, and Link identified the speaker as the postman he had been watching through his telescope just this morning...with Aryll. It hurt to think about it, so Link distracted himself by focusing on what Gonzo was saying. "Whoa, whoa, whoa there! Just who are you? Where do you get off butting in on someone else's conversation? All these rude people; first that weirdo, and now you!" Gonzo was obviously referring to the man who had given Link the hint about asking to stow away on Tetra's ship.

"Please! All I mean to say is that if you big, bad pirates hadn't come to this quiet little island... That poor girl wouldn't have been snatched away by that bird." The postman's face didn't move in the slightest, but his voice was covered with pointed sternness.

Link shot a glare at Tetra, feeling so horrible because of the his sister's kidnapping he was ready to pin the blame on her even if he didn't know what the postman meant, but couldn't bring himself to as he saw her shocked face. She looked genuinely worried that she was actually the cause of this whole mess, and Tetra's voice wavered ever so slightly as she spoke. "And just what do you mean by that?"

"Just be quiet for a moment, and I'll tell you!" the postman said, holding out a hand...or was it a talon? "Now, as my work entails delivering letters, I spend much of my time traveling amongst the many different islands. As a result, I hear many things..." Link narrowed his eyes, feeling impatience well up inside him. He knew that tone that the postman was using: it was the tone of somebody ready to go into a long monologue, one that his grandma used on him as she gave him the birthday clothes.

"Haven't any of you heard word that young girls have been getting kidnapped lately from all regions of the Great Sea?" Link felt slightly surprised that the postman hadn't gone into lecture mode, but also relieved that he wouldn't be wasting time. Of course, most of all, he was hopeful. If this postman knew something, anything at all... "No matter. Whether you've heard it or not, that seems to be the case. Young girls with long ears like yours have been getting kidnapped, never to be seen again."

Link touched his own pointed ears, remembering what Grandma had told him. "It doesn't make us any different, but there used to be a certain significance to these special ears. It used to signify something, but it has been lost with time. Now, the only thing that these ears do is allow us to hear a little better than others. I don't think there's a soul out there who know why some have these ears and why some don't, or where it came from." And unlike other topics, such as the legend and Link's parents that she merely refused to talk about, he could tell that she honestly did not know.

"And unless my eyes fail me, the young girl who was just kidnapped from this island also has long ears, does she not? Much like _you_ do, Miss Fearsome Pirate. My point is that the bird mistook girl for you, and that's why it grabbed her!" So she _was_ responsible for the bird stealing Aryll away! Link didn't care that perhaps he had felt what Grandma called young love, since this girl was responsible for his sister's kidnapping, then she should at least let him on her boat!

Tetra's blue eyes shifted nervously to the left, and she didn't say anything. It was clear that this guilt-trip tactic of the postman's was working. "And correct me if I'm wrong, but I believe it was young Link here who saved you from the monsters in the forest, wasn't it?" It seemed that everybody knew his name, for some reason. First Ishek, then the mysterious blonde, and now this postman he had only seen from afar.

"...Is this true?" Tetra asked quietly, her eyes studying Link with a little more respect. He nodded after a moments hesitation. After all, he hadn't actually killed the creatures or anything, just knocked them out. But it didn't hurt for her to think he was some sort of warrior, now did it?

"Oh! And while I'm at it..." the postman continued, still not finished, "I may as well tell you that the bird that kidnapped both you and Link's sister has made its foul nest to the north, on the heights of the Forsaken Fortress."

"The Forsaken Fortress?" Tetra repeated in surprise. "Isn't that the place where..."

"So, what are you going to do?" The postman crossed his arms, staring down his beak at Tetra. "Under the circumstances, I don't think it would be unreasonable for you to give Link a little help, now, would it?" Link could have kissed the postman, he was so grateful.

"Hmph... I don't need you to tell me that! It's like everybody's pinning the responsibility on us pirates, first 'mystery-man', and now you!" Tetra retorted haughtily. Turning back to Link, who was waiting eagerly, she added, "Even if I were to consider it... Lately, I've heard nothing but evil rumors about this Forsaken Fortress..." She eyed him, and Link prayed to the goddesses that this Tetra had a heart. "You can't possibly mean to go there with nothing but that cheap little sword!" she said finally. "That's not brave! It's stupid!"

Yeah, well, a lot of things he did for Aryll weren't exactly smart, he'd admit that.

"I mean, come on! Even a simple little island like this has to have something you could use as a shield. I don't care what 'mystery-man' said, you're not coming on my boat until you get one of those. You know, something to protect yourself with? Anything?" Link wracked his brains, trying to think if he had ever seen Orca using a shield, but Orca had always just used the spear staff. "Tell you what. If you come back with something like that, we'll let you stow away on our ship." Link began to mentally panic, not remembering any of the villagers having a shield anywhere. "Oh, and one more thing: once we leave, you won't be coming back here for a while, so you'd better go say good-bye to your family while have the chance."

Link was fully aware of that, but the idea of leaving for a while seemed to make him more excited than anything else--no! What kind of horrible grandson was he, that he would desert his grandma so easily? "I don't want you getting all weepy-eyed and homesick on me!" Link nodded, glad that at least Tetra was agreeing, however demanding her conditions were.

Turning to the postman, talking in a hushed voice so Tetra would not hear, Link began, "Er, Mr. Postman..."

"Quill. Call me Quill."

Link was a little shy about talking to the Rito, but with Quill's friendly tone, it wasn't hard to warm up to the postman. "Mr. Quill, have you ever heard of fish-men?" Link asked, figuring if Quill had really seen so much as he claimed, he would know of Ishek and his race if Ishek really wasn't a human with an odd taste in clothes. Link thought it far more likely, seeing as the scales had turned out to be more of a protective armor, that Ishek was just a human, but it couldn't hurt to ask, now could it?

Quill rubbed his beak, thinking to himself. "I've seen talking fish, if that's what you mean. They are referred to as fish-men."

Talking fish...it sounded like adventure to Link. He noted it for future reference, in case he wanted to try and see if they were friendly or not. But for now: "No, not talking fish, I mean people who have two legs, two arms, that kind of thing, but they look kind of like fish."

"Hmm... Unfortunately, I have not heard of such a race." Quill shook his head, but added helpfully, "Perhaps our aerie's chieftain would know, having seen much more of the Great Sea than I. Are you sure this isn't just a folktale that you've heard?"

"Yes, sir."

"It certainly sounds like a tale that would be told to children at night... Fish-men...no matter how I look at it, the idea seems ridiculous," Quill laughed with a slight smile. "I apologize for my rudeness. Where did you get such ideas?"

"Oh, uh... It's hard to explain..." Link, for some reason, was reluctant to tell Quill about Ishek.

"I see. I do not wish to pry, so I suppose I will not pressure you any more."

Link nodded gratefully, a little put off by how the Rito had not even heard rumors of Ishek. But that wasn't what matter right now. What mattered was getting on Tetra's boat and rescuing Aryll.

Now, to find a shield...

* * *

"Five minutes. I leave you alone for five minutes, and somehow, the kid ends up sister-less and preparing to become a pirate."

"Yeah, well, you owe me, so you can't blame or nuthin'. Ralis is going to kill me if he finds out that the Zora Armor got ripped while I was supposed to be taking care of it."

Link sighed, still appalled at the situation the boy had gotten himself into while Link had been trying to get past Mesa and back up the mountain, but almost relieved that the normal contempt for himself was back in the other Link's voice. The other Link had been far too nice to him recently for things to be okay. He looked up from the sand as Navi came back, buzzing with information and irritation at being sent to eavesdrop. "He needs a shield!" she reported. "That pirate girl is actually going to let him on her ship if he gets a shield!"

"Shield?" Link wondered out loud. He remembered somebody mentioning a shield somewhere, but he couldn't quite place it...

"Hey, I have my Ordon shield, and I don't think I necessarily need it anymore. I could lend it to the kid," the other Link offered, and Link raised an eyebrow. What had happened to the scorn just a few moments ago? He couldn't believe that the other Link wasn't trying to bite his head off, and actually cooperating without a single mocking note in his tone. Did it have something to do with the boy?

"So, what are _we_ going to do? I mean, we know what the kid's going to do, but are we really going to...?" Midna asked, skeptical.

"Follow him, yeah," the other Link said immediately. Link nodded.

"It even more important we follow them now, because from what Midna told me, Tetra is Princess Zelda," Link reminded them.

The other Link glared slightly at Midna as if she had betrayed him by telling, who shrugged. "Sorry."

Link cast a dubious glance back down the beach at the distant figure of the pirate girl. "...But she's not very princess-like, or similar to Zelda at all," he added. In his heart, he desperately wanted to believe that somehow there was lingering remnants of the Royal Family, but from the appearance of the girl, she didn't seem to look the part. With her tanned skin and tom-boyish expression, Link couldn't imagine anyone further from a princess.

"Does _she_ look like a princess?" the other Link said, pointing at Midna. Midna shoved him, and he smiled briefly before continuing, "And not all the princesses have to look like each other. They're not like this Hero reincarnation cycle, with everybody looking the same. And for that matter, probably all the future Heroes after me are going to inherit the same ugly mug."

Link ignored the insult, and wondered briefly why the other Link assumed there would be Heroes after him. "My Zelda and your Zelda are pretty similar."

The other Link scoffed, the normal contempt for Link back in his voice, "One's blonde, and one's a brunette. One wears pink, one wears purple. One's got boobs, and one's still probably in a training bra."

The fairy, the imp, and Link all stared at him, wide-eyed. He stared back at them, his expression dead serious, then exploded in laughter. "You guys should see yourselves, gaping like that!"

"I give up," Link sighed, while Midna snapped out of her surprise and laughed outright. Navi shivered, as if shocked by the other Link, and the other Link laughter harder at her discomfort. Apparently, it wasn't just Midna who had an odd sense of humor.

"So with Ganondorf, who's still alive, has the Triforce of Power, and the boy having the Triforce of Courage--" he stopped, then turned back to the other Link and Midna. "Did you get to see his hand and confirm if the boy has the Triforce of Courage?"

Midna ceased laughing abruptly, and the two glanced at each other. Link's eyes narrowed; he couldn't understand what was going on between them. "No," the other Link told Link in a clipped tone, and Midna nodded before stretching her arms.

Navi flew away, probably to check on the kid, and the three were silent as they waited for her to return. She returned shortly afterwards, her light pulse giving off a frightened aura. "He's failing with the shield thing, he can't seem to find one," Navi gushed. "He just came out of the lower level of Sturgeon's house, and his face was panicked, so I don't think he knows where he can get a shield! What are we going to do if the pirates leave without him, and he never gets his sister back?"

The other Link tried again, "I've got the Ordon Shield—"

"You can't give that to him; you've already showed yourself to Tetra," Link interrupted. "Although you had the mask on, that was dangerous and thoughtless enough, don't you think?"

The other Link spat, "As if I care."

Link didn't let the tone get to him, refusing himself to lose his grip on what needed to be done. He had to think. Where had he heard the word shield before? He knew that somebody had mentioned a shield before, and remembered something about tradition. So that was a start. Now, who kept talking about tradition? There was Orca, Sturgeon—_the grandmother. _It was so obvious that Link had missed it.

He didn't waste any time, his tone urgent as he suddenly broke the silence with, "I know where there's a shield that the boy can use, but we can't tell him, because we have to stay out of sight."

"Remind me why we can't show ourselves?" the other Link sighed.

"It would raise too many questions. What would we tell them if they ask where we came from? We were just minding our own business at an alternate world and we landed on the top of the island mountain after getting sucked into a magical cyclone?" Link said.

"Where's the shield?" Navi demanded to get them back on track, flitting everywhere in her panic.

Link pointed to the grandmother's house. "There. There was the family shield or whatever she called it on the wall, from what we heard."

"I suppose that would work," the other Link agreed grudgingly.

"We could call for Ishek," Navi suggested.

Link shook his head. "We don't have time to put all that stuff on."

"Maybe Midna could whisper it in his ear, and then hide in his shadow before he sees her," Link tried.

"I don't think we should do that. He might recognize my voice as the person who called him a pathetic squirt, you know," Midna drawled, not seeming very interested in the conversation. Link raised an eyebrow. She had called him a pathetic squirt?

Navi sat on Link's shoulder for a moment, then abruptly shouted, "We can write him a note!" Link gritted his teeth, his ears ringing slightly from her shrill voice.

"Wow. What a revolutionary idea," Midna mocked.

Link was nodding, though. "That would work, actually. It would just be an anonymous note from somebody that he finds..."

"That would be fantastic," the other Link snapped, "if we had paper!"

"Hmmm...that is a problem," Link muttered to himself.

"No duh," Midna jeered, flipping around in the air so she was upside-down. "Well, we could steal some from Sturgeon's house, he looks like the type that would have loads of that stuff—"

"No stealing!" Navi cried. "Both you and your Link should be wanted criminals, both of you steal so much!"

"You want the kid to get the shield or not?"

Navi was silent, then spat, "Fine. But you're doing it."

"No, I'm not." Midna smirked at the fairy. "I can only hide in people's shadows, so if Sturgeon happens to be conveniently by a stack of blank paper, then that'll be fine and dandy. But if he's not, I'll be out in the open, and he'll see me. You, on the other hand, can hide in any crevice you can find, and it's the middle of the day, so your light won't be noticable. I'm sure that you will be much better at the job than I will, Twinkles."

"...Navi..." Link started, but Navi cut him off.

"Agghhh! Listen, I'm never doing this again! And it's just for the kid, not because you told me to!" Navi raged, then zipped off.

"Hoo, she flies fast when she's mad," Midna commented, and the other Link chuckled wickedly. Link sighed. Both of them didn't fit the criteria of Hero and partner in the slightest, so how they had gotten so far in their adventure wasn't a conceivable concept for Link anymore.

The other Link suddenly coughed harshly a few times, and Midna wrinkled her nose. "Ew! Cover your mouth!" Then she paused, and asked in a much softer tone, "Are you sick or something?"

"Nah, just choked on air."

Midna nodded, then sat on his shoulder. "Hey..."

"What?"

"Your bangs are pretty long, and the stuff in the back that's usually covered by that freakish cap is way overdue for a haircut, now that I can see it properly..." Picking at it, Midna grinned evilly.

The other Link glanced at her warily. "So?"

"...Can I braid your hair?"

Link couldn't help but crack a smile when the other Link nearly fell over.

* * *

Link bit his lip, and shook his head. "It's okay, Uncle Abe, I'll find one eventually," he assured the man, then left before Abe could ask any more questions. Right now he was just asking random people if they happened to have a shield, not really expecting them to actually have one. He walked down the hill, scratching his head furiously as if that would help him find a shield. From the look on Tetra's face, even from here, it was obvious that her patience would hold out much longer. "Ahh! What am I going to do!" he cried softly to himself. Link kept going down the path, beginning to lose hope that he would ever be able to rescue Aryll, his gaze fixed firmly on the ground. Therefore, it wasn't until the piece of paper was right under his nose did he see the note that was held down from the breeze by a rock.

Unfolding it, he thanked Sturgeon for teaching him how to read, and studied the words on the paper. Link wasn't a particularly fast reader, nor did he love to read as Sturgeon wished him to, but he was good enough for Sturgeon to happily comply whenever Link wanted read a book from his collection.

_The one who wishes for adventure held the sword._

_The one who wishes for peace holds the shield._

Whatever that meant. Was it some sort of riddle? Joel especially liked such games, and sometimes it got on Link's nerves whenever Joel wanted Link to guess which number Joel was thinking of, somewhere between one and a hundred. Well, the one who had the sword was Orca, and he definitely wanted adventure and excitement. So who wished for peace?

That was obvious. How could Link have missed it?

Link crumpled the paper, shoved it in the pouch that Orca had given him, and sprinted for Grandma's house. It only occurred to him as he wrenched open the door that he was taking advice from a mysterious note...but he supposed it must be Ishek or mystery-man again.

He'd get them one day.

* * *

"I told you it was too easy!" the other Link growled.

"It was designed that way. He's supposed to get it," Link replied, thinking briefly to himself that he was the one who usually unraveled riddles, not the one who spun them, but still not really interested in the other Link's complaining. Navi was sulking in his hair, throwing off vibes that Link couldn't help but worry over. She was angry that she had to steal both a sheet of paper and a pencil, although Midna had pointed out that it was just "a really, really thin piece of a dead tree and a stick of wood with a fancy rock in the middle."

"Alrighty, gentlemen," aforementioned imp declared, "I think our work here is done, yes? Although it wasn't fun at all; we should have messed with his head at least a _little_."

"Agreed," the other Link said. "You're taking it easy on the ki—"

"Wait..." Link interrupted, feeling the hairs on the back of his neck rise up, and a familiar uncomfortable roil in his gut. It was the feeling that..._somebody was watching..._

"What now?" the other Link snapped, his angry glare signaling that his irritation at Link was only being barely restrained. But because of that, he wasn't on guard. Link had learned from years of experience that zoning out and turning off his alerts would only lead to disaster, and letting emotions cloud judgement and foresight would only make things worse.

Link waited for a moment more, with Midna, Navi, and the other Link all staring at him expectantly, then shook his head. "N...Nothing. I'm just being paranoid, I guess..." The feeling was gone, too. His nerves were probably just jittery after the bird attack.

Midna snickered, "Obviously. Now, next task..."

"Becoming stowaways!" the other Link finished, seeming a little too happy at the idea. Link shrugged to himself and tried to follow suit. Maybe he _was_ being paranoid...

"More rule-breaking?" Navi moaned.

Midna replied, "Rules are meant to be broken, Twinkles. Now, we're got a boat to infiltrate, so let's get crackin'."

* * *

Link knew quite a few swear words despite his young age, having witnessed some very descriptive language from Mesa whenever Mesa accidentally cut himself while he was trying to tame his field of grass, and Link was sorely tempted to use some of the more colorful ones right around now. The shield couldn't be gone, not now!

He climbed down the ladder, too frustrated to notice that Grandma had her back facing him, and finally realized when he touched the ground that the only way the shield could be gone would be if Grandma herself had taken it. But why had she? "Link..." she called faintly, and he approached her hesitantly, wondering if Grandma would ask what had happened to Aryll. But instead, "Is this what you're looking for?" Grandma asked softly, turning around, and held the shield out for him to see. Link stared down at it in horror. So she already knew. But what did this mean, showing him the shield?

His question was answered as Grandma smiled kindly, only a trace of sorrow visible in her lined face. "...Take it with you." Link cradled it in his arms, then strapped it to his back as he had seen in Sturgeon's books. He smiled, feeling it's weight on his back, a determined gleam shining in his eyes. Finally, he would be able to rescue Aryll, and see the Great Sea for himself! Grandma looked down, and his smile vanished as quickly as it had come. He was leaving her all alone...

"I guess it is true... Aryll really has been kidnapped... Hasn't she?" Link stared down at his feet, unable to think of anything to say. "What kind of monster could take such a sweet, young child?" Grandma's thin shoulders began to shake, but her sobs were silent. Link averted his eyes to the right, trying to decide if he should try and comfort her of not. In the end, he just turned away and walked back towards the door, trying to figure out if by such a good-bye, he was saving Grandma's feelings or destroying them.

He paused, his hand on the doorknob. He had a choice, a real choice, whether or not to follow Aryll into the vast unknown, or to stay behind in his safe, sheltered life. He was sure that nobody on the island would begrudge him if he decided to stay on the island. He could stay and let others shield him all the dangers, remain shielded for the rest of his years. Or, he could go out there with that shield on his back, and do the protecting himself.

Which did he want to be, the shielder or the shielded?

Let others do it for him or do it with his own hands?

And between the village and Aryll, he loved Aryll more...and there was the unexplored sea out there...

...calling him...

The doorknob turned, the door opened, Link slipped outside, and the door slammed shut.


	9. Cards

Disclaimer: I do not own Legend of Zelda, and I don't own GTO or Apple or Arrowhead water bottles or TMNT or American Idiot by Green Day or Canadian Idiot by Weird Al. Hmm...listing random things that I don't own is quite fun...

* * *

Niko narrowed his eyes. Link was doing far better than himself when he had first taken the challenge, or anybody he had seen so far take the exact same test, for that matter. Miss Tetra said that it might take a month to reach Forsaken Fortress, whatwith the wind being at a horrible angle and all, and Niko wouldn't be surprised if the shrimp managed to actually get to the other side by then, despite that even Miss Tetra had taken two whole years to pass the test herself and everybody else at least twice as long...although the Miss had been six when she started trying. He hadn't even fallen when he grabbed the first rope, as pretty much everybody did except for Nudge due to rope burn. Probably Senza would have been able to hold on as well, but Senza had been slightly too lazy to actually try and endure the harsh scratching the ropes gave when hands slip down them. Anyway, it was almost the end of the first day, and Link had almost made it to the second platform, which was worrying Niko. It just wasn't possible to do that!

Of course, the swabbie wasn't invulnerable to the normal injuries: bruises, rope burn, blisters, the such that made this challenge hard. Niko shuddered, remembering his own experience with the test, watching as Link charged at the rope once more. "Oi, swabbie, let's call it a day," he called, hopping down from his platform, waving to the kid who was clinging to the rope. "You're not getting anywhere!"

"NO! I'm! Going! To! Do! This!" Link growled. If Niko didn't know better, he would have thought that Link was enjoying the challenge. Well, even if he did, that would change his mind soon enough when the shrimp found himself dying the ropes red with his own blood.

"Indeed, the kid has to," a familiar voice said. Niko looked up, and jumped in surprise. Miss Tetra watched them coolly, her arms crossed. "The kid gets no food or water, or any medical treatment, until he gets to the second platform. When that happens, he will get minimal treatment and one meal a day."

"M-Miss, that's--"

"That's the way it works," Tetra said evenly. Niko wondered what the kid could have possibly done to make Miss so harsh towards him, and turn what had once been a simple test into a game with such stakes. What Tetra had morphed the test into was almost like a gambling card game that the pirates played sometimes at night: the longer you delay, the worse your debt would get, and the higher the stakes would rise. The longer the kid took to get to the second platform, the worse condition his hands would be, and the hungrier he would get.

Tetra added, "He _is_ the bottom of the pirate ladder. But kid, I suggest you stop. Tomorrow, your hands are going to feel like hell, and you're going to have to work. You'll continue to try this test during your breaks."

Not surprisingly, Link let go of the rope when Tetra told him to. "Alright..."

"Alright, what?"

"Alright, Miss," he sighed, picking at a blister on his hands with curiosity, his mind elsewhere, obviously tired of getting reminded constantly to call her Miss.

Tetra huffed, and Niko began to edge away from Link, in case he might get caught in the crossfire. Tetra's wrath was a fearsome thing, and she most certainly didn't like to be ignored, so if the shrimp didn't start behaving with some proper respect, the kid would certainly wind up with extra chores. But instead, all Tetra did was, "Show him to where he'll sleep, Niko," she commanded, then left the testing room.

Niko breathed a sigh of relief, glad that at least the kid had listened to Niko's lecture on do's and don'ts and obeyed immediately when Tetra told him to let go. That particular lecture had been a good grilling that Niko had given the swabbie in a desperate attempt to keep him alive...so they could successfully ship him off to Forsaken Fortress and the kid could die there. Of course, the kid had risked his skin and smart-mouthed her right after he had done the correct thing and followed her directions, so Niko supposed that only small part of his lecture had stuck. Niko tugged on Link's sleeve. "Yeah, swabbie, let's go. It's going to be a long night." They both climbed up the stairs, Niko waving cheerfully to Nudge, who was standing at his usual post in front of Tetra's room. He smiled back and brought something out from his pocket.

"Look! Isn't it pretty!" Nudge held out a small pillow, tiny enough to fit in the palm of a hand, that had a hand-stitched portrait of Tetra on it. He looked positively thrilled at his achievement.

Niko thought it was kind of weird for a grown man to be stitching pictures of their wards, but Link laughed in delight, "You did it all yourself?" Nudge nodded proudly. "Gee, I thought only Grandma knew how to sew that well! That's amazing!"

"Let's go, swabbie! Time's awastin'!" Niko urged, and Link nodded. "Alright, over there is the sleeping quarters. That's where all the real pirates sleep."

"Okay," Link said slowly. "I'm assuming I'm not sleeping in there, Mr. Niko?"

"Wrong, swabbie! You're not sleeping in ther—wait, what?" Niko cut himself off, realizing what Link had said. "I mean, yes, you're right. You get to sleep in the swabbie's area!"

Link prompted, voice cautious, "Which is..."

"In here!" Niko declared gleefully, pointing to a tiny door. "The laundry room slash cleaning room! Where all the used clothes go before we wash them, and where we put all the cleaning supplies!" He opened the door, grinning toothily when Link gagged at the smell. "Perk up, swabbie! You're rooming with me, at least! We get to be roommates!"

"Sure," Link agreed, not putting up the fuss that Niko had expected. The heaps of sweaty, wrinkled clothes clumped in little heaps around the perimeter of the room was enough to make Senza complain, but this kid didn't so much as groan.

"Er, right, so I'll be in the kitchen, getting some grub in me belly. I guess you can just turn in, then, 'cuz you're not eating," Niko said, slightly put off by the very un-childish way Link acted. Link nodded, then sat down on the floor and ignited the handheld lantern, which was the only light in the entire room. Niko closed the door and shook himself out, still unnerved.

Damn creepy brat.

* * *

It was the first night, and the only person was some scruffy-looking mongrel with a telescope up on the crows nest. Fairy-boy had pointed out that it would be safer for the two Hylians to stay in the storage room around the clock, and her Link had to agree. The storage room was the only place they could find that nobody went into, because all the food was stored in the kitchen, and the weapons were kept in the pirate's sleeping quarters for short notice attacks. So Midna and Navi were in charge of getting food and figuring out where the bathroom was.

"That was easy," Midna whispered, rapping her knuckles against the bathroom door. "Next stop, the kitchen."

Navi dimmed her glow as low as she could and peeked into the sleeping quarters. Bellowing snores echoed through the ship. "It sounds like a pack of dodongo's in there, they're so noisy!"

"Whatever a doo-dong is," Midna scoffed. "It sounds like some sort of food."

"A dodongo!" Navi hissed.

"Right. Let's find the kitchen."

That was pretty easy, as well. The only problem was, when they peered around the half-open door, they saw two pirates inside, talking softly in the lantern light that cast it's dim glow over the entire ship interior.

"I don't need you to tell me that, Nudge. I'm not letting anybody go hungry on my watch, swabbie with an obsession with green or no." It was a dark-skinned one, methodically stirring a pot of what Midna hoped was soup, and not some sort of vat of barf.

"Okay. Just making sure," the other one, probably named Nudge, said as he shrugged.

The dark-skinned man glanced at Nudge before turning back to his soup. "The same person put you up to it, eh?"

"I don't know what you're talking about, Senza."

Senza chuckled good-naturedly. "Right, right. Well, if you've got somebody telling you to do all this stuff, you can go tell him...or _her_...that I'm on it."

"Sure thing!" Nudge chirped, and the imp and the fairy were forced to hide behind the door, holding their breath, hoping that Nudge wouldn't notice the little glowing ball of light that was Navi. Fortunately, he didn't, and went straight into the sleeping quarters.

From what they could hear from behind the door, Senza had poured some of the soup in a bowl. Seconds later, Senza walked out, holding said bowl in his hands and a wooden cup, then knocked on a small door in the corner. It opened a crack, and Midna could see the boy peek out, wide awake. "Hey," Senza said quietly.

"Hello..." the boy replied, uncertain.

Senza handed him the soup, and the boy stared at it. "You're supposed to eat it," Senza told him casually, already turning away. Midna was beginning to like this Senza; his tone wasn't mocking, joking, or...anything, really. Just casual.

"W-Wait! I can't eat it, Tetra said--"

"I'm sure Tetra won't mind. When she sets the rules on the test like that, cheating in the game isn't uncommon, anyway," Senza said knowingly, shrugging. "Be lucky you have a chance to cheat at all. Some people don't get opportunities to cheat. Now eat it. Just to let you know, I'm the cook _and_ the doctor, so I won't have any half-starved kids on this ship. It won't taste so good, but then again, that's not something I really care about. My job as cook is to make sure nobody gets malnourished." He pointed to the cup. "And that's red potion, by the way, for your hands. You can choose to drink it or rub it on your blisters; it works either way, although applied directly to raw, open wounds like yours it might be more effective. 'Night," and Senza disappeared into the sleeping quarters.

The kid looked slightly shocked, but after a moment, he grinned happily. "Food!" he squeaked, obviously pleased at the prospect of a meal. He sniffed the soup, singing quietly to himself, "Food, food, food..." and then he shut the door.

"O...kay..." Midna said, more than a little weirded about by the kid's abrupt childish behavior. Navi wasn't distracted by it, though, and zipped into the kitchen, examining the pots, pans, spoons, bowls, and most importantly, the unattended pot of soup. Midna followed, inspecting the leftovers. It didn't look too bad, really.

"It looks like there's still some left," Midna muttered. "We could get bowls, and maybe--"

"They'll see that the bowls are gone because there's only a few, and they probably count how many bowls there are every day," Navi interrupted. "The soup is too obvious, anyway, being such a main attraction, and it's the first thing that they'll notice. Listen, we need to get something from the cupboards, something that they might not notice right away if it's gone." Midna glared at Navi, but couldn't argue, because Navi was absolutely right.

"I knew that," was all Midna growled, annoyed already by the fairy and her irritating little voice. If anything was clear, it was that Midna and Navi would never get along. "Let's get some preservatives, then, and tell them that the coast is clear for a bathroom break. I think fairy-boy is going to burst anytime, now."

"I don't think so..."

"Oh, come on, you saw him too, he's getting the nature call—"

"No! I meant the coast is _not_ clear! That Nudge guy is coming back out! Shh!"

Midna poked her head out through the door, watching Nudge cross from the sleeping quarter's door to the room that Midna remembered as the one that was finely furnished and looked a lot to be like the captain's room, although she hadn't done more than glance inside. "C'mon, let's go listen in," she whispered to Navi, before bouncing her way silently to the doorway.

"No! We've done enough eavesdropping!"

"Can it, Twinkles, we're going to get caught if you don't shut your trap."

Sounding a lot like a secret assassin reporting to his boss to Midna, Nudge reported, "Miss, Senza did everything as instructed."

"Alright. You can get back to bed now, Nudge." So it was Princess's room, Midna thought. Of course. She was the captain, anyway.

"...About the boy's clothes..."

"So they dress alike. It means nothing."

"You don't know that, Miss."

Midna dared to peek around the corner, and saw Tetra sitting on her bed, with Nudge standing respectfully by the desk. Tetra said calmly, eyes narrowed, "It's probably some custom based on the legend. The boy does look to be around eleven, after all."

"The history books your mother gave you said that the Hero of Time was blonde, and so is the kid."

"Coincidence, Nudge. And the history books said that the Hero was blonde and _handsome_, which the kid is anything but."

"Oh?" Nudge teased. "I think that's a matter of opinion. Or are you in denial, Miss? Do you li—"

"Shaddap, Nudge." But Nudge continued to chuckle, and Tetra changed the subject quickly. "If the history books said that the Hero of Time had green eyes, maybe I would agree with you, but nobody bothered to record what the eye color was. Or maybe if they recorded his name, and the kid happened to have the same name, then I'd believe that it's not just an accident. He is _not _a Hero. He's a snotty-nosed little kid who was practically crying when we left. You should have seen him." Tetra's face was stony and unreadable.

"What about the recent monsters? You admitted yourself that you could feel the evil on the wind." Nudge pointed to a picture behind Tetra's head, and Midna realized it was a drawing of a boy holding a sword, dressed in the Hero's tunic. "It is really just coincidence that boy in the same green clothes shows up now with a quest to rescue his sister who's being held at the Forsaken Fortress? And being forced to board a ship with a crew of pirates who all know the details to the legend by heart? A crew who was taught by your mother, who knows the legend like no other excepting yourself, Miss?"

"Yes," Tetra replied firmly. "Coincidence."

Nudge sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I may have been playing the devil's advocate, arguing that the boy really is the Hero of Time reborn, but it was just because I want you to come to a conclusion with yourself. I can see that you're not sure whether or not he is—oh, don't give me that look, Miss, I've been raising you ever since your late mother passed away. You might have fooled everybody else, but not me. I know you."

Sarcasm dripping from her voice, Tetra shot back angrily, "Fantastic. I'm tired, you probably are, so leave. Your job was done long ago."

"...Alright, Miss... But remember, you can't hide anything from me..." Nudge's tone wasn't warning or threatening, merely reminding. Tetra waved her hand in response, settling herself down under her covers. "Try to make up your mind, Miss. Conflicted minds don't make good captains."

Midna and Navi flew back to the kitchen in the nick of time, Nudge shut the Tetra's door, retreated once more to the sleeping quarters, and Midna sighed quietly. She suddenly went as fast as she could, getting dried meat that definitely wouldn't be missed and a few bottles of water from the many that inhabited the shelves, then floated down the stairs to the room with the platforms. The storage room was located under a thick trapdoor in the floor, and Midna knocked softly on it to signal that she wanted it opened by the waiting Hylians inside.

As it creaked open, Midna mused, "She reminds me so much of wolf-boy..." And then Midna darted back down to the storage room before Navi could ask what that meant. Navi might pick up that Midna didn't mean just personalities, and Midna didn't feel like answering such questions.

* * *

Link could deal with waiting in a dark storage room for days on end. Apparently, the other Link couldn't.

The other Link had developed the most extreme case of cabin fever that Link ever saw, even though the storage room was actually quite large, if not presenting a feel of claustrophobia with it's six-foot high ceiling. He was always doing something: pacing incessantly, fiddling with his weapons, talking with Midna, annoying Navi, scratching pictures on the wooden walls, rummaging through the multiple crates and barrels that surrounded them, actually going so far as to try and create his own card game with the deck Midna had bothered to swipe. No matter how Link looked at him, he always seemed like a caged animal, desperate to get out.

Day six: The other Link had latched onto that idea of creating a card game, and had actually settled down for an entire _hour—_a miraculous feat in Link's opinion, considering the other Link's recent behavior—so he could finalize the rules and smooth out any wrinkles in the gameplay. "Okay, okay, I've got it now," the other Link muttered, gathering the cards he had strewn out around him.

Midna hovered over his shoulder, watching him work. "Oh, really? What's it called?"

"Fake Out," he said absentmindedly, organizing the cards into a neat pile, then pausing to cough slightly into his shoulder. Midna eyed him suspiciously, and he said quickly, "Saliva went down the windpipe, is all."

"Too much information. Now lemme try." Midna settled herself in a seated position, but remained floating a few inches off the ground.

Navi and Link half-heartedly dragged themselves over, not exactly curious, but just finding nothing else to do. And if Link didn't have anything to focus on, Link thought he might worry himself to death over Hyrule. In situations with nothing to do, he usually resorted to thinking, which led to hours of just thinking about Hyrule. Even if it wasn't a painless topic to settle on, his mind kept going back to it.

As the other Link explained the rules, mainly to Midna more than anybody else, Link could help but notice that the game centered so much around lying, stealing cards, tricking the opponents, that sort of thing...and not only that...

"Hey!" Navi cut in, interrupting the other Link's explanation. "There's so many opportunities there are to cheat in this game!" Link nodded slightly to himself, agreeing completely.

The other Link grinned at their honesty. "Exactly." He paused, then added, "There is a rule where you automatically lose if you're caught cheating by another player, though. And on top of that, I've designed this as a game for both a single and multiple players, and the single player version is completely cheat-proof."

"How do you know that?" Link asked. In his experience, pretty much all games had a way to cheat.

"It's almost completely on luck, whereas multiple player version relies on skill."

"There's ways to cheat on that, too," Link pointed out.

"Because you're playing against yourself," the other Link answered simply with a crooked half-smile that almost looked sad. "And it's impossible to cheat against yourself."

"Let's hurry up and play! We can bet food," Midna suggested. The other Link quickly finished his explanation, then started to deal the cards. Midna offered, "You guys want to play?"

"I'm not playing such a dishonest game!" Navi cried. Midna shrugged, rolling her visible eye, then picked up her cards and got ready to play.

A little while later, Midna and the other Link stared at each other, totally immersed in the game, their faces unreadable. Finally, Midna pulled a card out of her hand and flung it on the ground, showing that it was a command card. "Sacrifice three of your highest cards."

The other Link pulled three out as she said, revealing two sevens and a nine. Midna cursed, believing she had just wasted a perfectly good command card, and studied her hand glumly. Because he wasn't playing, Link peeked at the other Link's hand, and saw about five cards higher than what he had revealed. Link leaned to the other side and looked at Midna's hand, and saw that she had nothing to be glum about. There were four command cards that the other Link had appointed, and Midna had three at the moment...which meant that very recently she had possessed all four. If you had all four, that was something to celebrate about indeed, yet, her expression remained as if she had a horrible set of cards in her hand.

It seemed that both of them were remarkable liars...

Fantastic, Link inwardly groaned. His reincarnation and successor was a thief and a liar.

Twenty minutes later, it looked to Link that Midna would win, easy. Not only that, the other Link had already lost two days worth of food, and if he do something soon, the stakes would only get higher until he would no longer be able to get out of the grave he was digging. But suddenly, the other Link threw down five cards, a combination of the five most rarest cards in the game. "I win," he said triumphantly, crossing his arms. Having seen the other Link being forced to return three of those particular cards to the bottom of the deck because of Midna's command cards, Link knew that the other Link had obtained those cards through no honest method. He sighed as Midna raged and all but tore up her cards.

"Fake Out!" the other Link snickered.

"Rematch, wolf-boy!" she demanded.

Day thirteen: They had gotten bored of Fake Out a while ago, because there wasn't any card game you could play for more than a week very single waking moment. "Are you sure there's no candles you can steal?" the other Link asked...again.

"For the love of twilight, wolf-boy, _no_!" Midna snarled loudly, and Link was grateful that the storage room was sound-proof. Midna wasn't doing so well in the storage room either, causing her voice to rise to levels that it didn't need to, but she got to go outside at night to sneak food out of the kitchens while the Hylians only could take two, three minutes to use the bathroom twice each night.

"We can barely see anything in here!" the other Link protested.

Navi shook her wings indignantly. "You've got me!"

"Yeah, well, normal lights don't annoy people by flying in their faces and talk nonstop."

"Listen, you filthy hypocrite—"

"Farore _save me_!" Link moaned, clapping his hands over his ears. He had patience, yes, but not patience for nearly two weeks of constant banter. "Okay, both of you," he said sternly to Navi and the other Link, "can you sit still and just do nothing for a little while? Five minutes? That's all I'm asking."

The other Link glowered at him. "You can't tell me what to do, you—" But what exactly Link was, he never got out, because at that moment the other Link was seized by a coughing fit. Dry and raspy, it sounded like the other Link was trying to cough up his guts. Link sat up straighter. If the other Link was ill, now at all times...

"Wolf-boy? You okay?" Midna asked, sounding uncharacteristically worried. The other Link's coughs just got worse, making his entire body tremble, and Midna shook him roughly with her eye wide. "Link!"

Immediately he stopped and began to laugh at her, choking out, "I can't believe you fell for it!"

Midna punched him, hard. "How dare you try fool me with such a stupid prank! Now shut up or I'll eat you!"

Laughter subsiding, he retorted, "I don't see how you could, with that ridiculously long fang of yours. Hell, I don't know how you eat _anything._" Link released a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding, relieved that it had merely been a nasty joke born from restlessness. If the other Link was sick, not only could it infect the rest of them, but they didn't have any medicine on them, so the other Link could possibly die from such a simple cold unless his body somehow managed to overcome the threat on it's own.

"Funny, Link. But if any of us is sick, we have to admit it, okay?" Link warned. "I think you all know why."

"Yeah! And stop _laughing_ already, Faroredamnit!" Navi snapped, and Link shifted uncomfortably. If Navi was actually swearing, then she must really be at her wit's end...

"And if one of us really is sick?" said the other Link, laughter trailing away, staring hard at Link. It was odd, because only then did Link realize that it was his own face that was staring at him with such distrust.

"Then we turn ourselves into the pirates, and ask for medical help," Link answered coolly. It was straightforward enough.

"But if we turn ourselves in, then they might prevent us from following the kid!"

Link replied harshly, "It's better than dying."

The other Link was silent, then snatched the deck of cards and began to play a single player game of Fake Out, his mind obviously elsewhere as he dealt himself card after card. Link saw that with card he lay down, his luck seemed to decrease until each card was the worse card he possibly could have drawn, but the other Link didn't seem to mind, too focused on whatever he was thinking about.

* * *

Alright, in case you people haven't already figured it out, when Link walks into the inside of the pirate ship, there's Tetra's room and stairs, right? I'm just sticking a bunch of doors and rooms on the walls there. I find it highly unlikely that there could be so few rooms in a real pirate ship...and that a ship could sail from the very bottom of the Sea Chart to the top in half a day, as well. To make a month-long trip more believable, the wind is blowing against them, forcing them to tack...that is, if pirate ships such as Tetra's tack to head up-wind in the same way little sail boats do.

I'm posting this in commemoration of my last day of freedom before I'm forced back to HELL, so please note that updates may come slower. Ahh, my last breath of sweet freedom...


	10. Fake Out

It seemed to Link that all he ever did anymore was clean. Clean, and fix things for Mako.

Tetra: "Clean the deck, boy! It's filthy!"

Gonzo: "I'm running low on shirts that don't make people throw up when they smell it; wash some shirts for me, yeah?"

Mako: "I've got this new invention, but I broke it. Hey, shrimp, fix it for me."

Niko: "Oi, swabbie, clean the laundry room for me, aye? I thought I saw some fungus in the corner."

Senza: "Clean those pots for me, will you?" But at least Senza asked, and didn't ask at all if Link looked too dead to do it.

Zuko didn't talk, but would sometimes gesture that he wanted Link to fetch him some weird polish that Mako invented to clean his telescope. You'd think that he'd order Link to clean it for him, but Zuko didn't let anybody touch his telescope except himself.

Therefore, over the past two weeks, Link had decided that his favorite was either Senza or Nudge. Tetra was far too bossy and intimidating, although Link kept blushing for some reason he couldn't really understand whenever he was around her, so he preferred to stay away from her to escape confusion. Gonzo wasn't too bright and had some sort of established position as second-in-command that he didn't hesitate to use, and not only that, it was pretty disturbing to Link whenever Gonzo started crying over sappy love novels. Mako was quiet unless you knew him for a while, and then he chatter non-stop about his latest invention, and once he got started he didn't stop. Ever. Niko was always cheerful and enthusiastic, and although such a sunny personality was always good to have, it didn't work _all_ the time. Zuko was nice to be around whenever you just wanted to be around someone, but you didn't want them to talk or ask questions. He wasn't good for much else, though.

Nudge, apparently, knew exactly how to act around people. He could pick up on anybody's mood and react in just the right way, which led to his general popularity all around the crew. So, whenever Link had a break and his hands couldn't handle taking the test, it was spent sitting with Nudge in front of Tetra's room, laughing about whatever there was to laugh about. And then there was Senza, who just seemed to be a casual man. He wasn't hot-tempered, annoying, talkative, or dull, possessing a well-rounded, mild-mannered personality that didn't offend anybody in any way, nor create feelings of disintrest. It helped that Senza would bring him food late at night when nobody was around, even though he was only allowed one meal a day by Tetra's rule. Of course, only two meals a day and constant exercise was already shaving a fair amount of chub off Link, who was used to three well-rounded meals from Grandma.

Link didn't particularly mind all the mistreatment he was getting. He could glean some comfort from the endless sea and the fact that he was actually off the island for the first time in his life. In fact, he wouldn't mind it if he stayed a pirate, roaming the wide sea and doing whatever he wanted. Of course, Tetra would still have control over him, so that would be a problem... And if he were to become a pirate, he would certainly need to get a smaller boat. The high sides of the pirate ship that put a good twenty feet between him and the highest waves irked him at times. Twice, he had accidentally leaned so far off the railing in his attempt to touch a little spray that somebody had to catch him before he officially became a "man overboard."

And what really cheered him up was the fact that no matter how bossy somebody might be, all the pirates still treated him like a friend they'd known forever.

"Hey, Link! The Miss is acallin', let's get ourself out on deck!" Niko yelled, wrenching open the laundry door, and Link knocked over his shield in surprise. "Whatcha doing?" Niko asked, curiosity getting the better of him.

"Just trying out this...stuff...that Mako gave me. Said it's supposed to stop my shield from warping from water," Link explained, showing the damp cloth. It was because Mako had convinced him quite thoroughly that the solution in the cloth would help that he had decided to try it instead of talking with Nudge again.

"Ah, I see, I see!" Niko said, as if he did, but Link was pretty sure he didn't. "Anyway, let's skip over to the Miss, or she'll feed us to the sharks!"

"...I doubt that, Niko..."

"Figure of speech, Link. Let's go!" Niko said, dragging Link out the door.

"Hang on, I'll be right up, I just have to put this away," Link assured him, tucking the cloth in the pouch that Orca had given him, then put that in a corner with his sword and shield. His body ached, so he moved slightly slower than usual, but he forced his limbs as fast as he could. Niko didn't bug him like he used to at the outset of the journey, understanding that Link wasn't quite used to all the harsh work, but still tapping his foot impatiently. "Okay, I'm ready."

Niko eyed him, eyebrows raised. "...You know, Link, sometimes you have to be a little less obedient. Complain once in a while, like a normal kid."

"I can't really protest against anything you guys say. You're taking me to Aryll."

"No, we're taking you to hell, which just happens to have your sister locked up somewhere in the middle of it." Such statements of the Forsaken Fortress were pretty common among the pirates, so Link was used to it. It didn't scare him, and the only part of those ominous statements that worried Link was that Aryll could possibly be mistreated. Niko grabbed Link and shoved him out, hopping up and down. "Now let's _move_, Link!"

More cleaning. Link wouldn't be surprised if Mako asked him to fix the catapult afterwards.

* * *

Day fourteen: "Good-bye, I'll be off now," the other Link announced, suddenly standing up and walking towards the maze of crates.

"Where're you going?" Navi asked breathlessly, ducking under Midna's swipe.

"I'm going to get out of your hair and find something to do by myself. I feel like being alone right now, anyway." Link blinked dazedly and glanced at the endless boxes, then the other Link. If the other Link really wanted to, there's no doubt that he'd be able to hide and avoid anybody within the hodge-podge of barrels forever.

Midna almost caught Navi, but Navi slipped through her fingers. Midna waved with one hand, still trying to snatch Navi from the air with the other. "Sure, sure." It was a game of tag they had started recently, and it kept both Navi and Midna reasonably entertained...the only problem being that if Navi was ever caught, Link had to save her from getting shredded.

Link didn't say anything in response to the other Link, because he was trying to sleep and he been on the brink of succeeding. Maybe if he could sleep, he could temporarily escape the hellhole he had somehow ended up in.

Later, still day fourteen: "Wolf-boy! We've got food!" Midna said loudly through a mouthful of hard tack. The other Link poked his head out from behind a crate.

"Sure." But that was all he said, because he came out from wherever he had been hiding, swiped a few pieces, then disappeared once more. Midna looked confused, and a slight awkward silence settled before Navi began to chatter nervously about how the Happy Mask Salesman should really rethink his clothing color scheme. Link noted from the slight waver every few sentences that Navi had purposely changed to subject to take their minds off the other Link's sudden change in behavior, and Link silently thanked her.

Day sixteen: "Link! I know you're out there somewhere!" Midna called.

"Yeah, I'm out here, but I feel like being alone right now!" Was it just Link, or did the other Link's voice sound a little strained?

Navi was sitting on Link's leg, who was leaned up against a wall. She yelled, unnecessarily loud, "Midna, give it a rest! He's a teenager! Teenager's get moody sometimes! Believe me, I know, because I had to follow one right through puberty!" Link rolled his eyes. She acted like he'd been such the rebellious teen...

"No! I'm going to find him!" Midna insisted, checking around another barrel. "And you can't possibly call this a 'mood,' Twinkles, he's been hiding for two days now!"

"I've been eating stuff, haven't I? I come out to get stuff to eat!" the other Link's voice insisted, and the low ceiling and wide area of the room distorted his voice so nobody could tell where the sound had originated.

"That doesn't count! Come out here right now, wolf-boy, or—"

"I'm not coming out if you guys keep bugging me! The floaty lantern's right for once, so leave me alone!"

Midna froze in mid-air, then yelled back, "You have to come out eventually!" She drifted back to where Link and Navi waited, settling herself down on the ground with a pout.

"I will...eventually."

* * *

Midna hovered behind the door, and Navi bobbed up and down sullenly beside her. It was already day eighteen, so Navi had pretty much given up on protesting against the eavesdropping.

"Miss..."

"Yes, Nudge?"

"Have you decided?"

"Yeah."

"...So?" Midna dared to try and see what was happening, her curiosity was so great.

Tetra had let down her hair, and Midna thought that maybe there could be a bit of princess somewhere in her. It was actually quite easy to imagine the stone-hearted pirate as one, considering the golden hair that spilled onto her back and pretty face, although the soft features were marred by a determined, hard gaze. She combed through the hair strands absently with her fingers, staring at a book. "He's just a kid. He's not the Hero of Time reborn, or the Hero of Time come again to save us, or anything except just a kid trying to save his sister."

"Miss, can you say that to my face?"

Tetra looked up, and her blue eyes were firm. "Yeah."

Nudge smiled, clapping his hands together, seeming to see some sort of resolution in Tetra's eyes. "Wonderful! I'm so happy for you, Miss!"

Rolling her eyes, Tetra said, "You're not my mother, Nudge."

"I think I'm pretty darn close, Miss!" Nudge laughed, and Tetra actually smiled an honest smile. "You look a lot prettier when you smile like that, instead of smirking all devious and conniving-like," Nudge told her.

"Right. Which is why you tell nobody about it, you hear me, Nudge?" Tetra warned.

"It's okay. Your secrets are safe with me, Miss." Tetra nodded with another genuine smile, then waved to signal that he should leave. Nudge saluted, then practically skipped to the sleeping quarters.

"Oh, Princess doesn't want us to know what she's a softie?" Midna muttered to herself, smirking her own devious grin. "Right, right, your secrets are practically good as told with me, Princess."

Navi groaned softly. "Ughh..."

"It was a joke, Twinkles. Let's get this nasty crap back down to the storage room."

"Crap? It's hardtack."

"It don't taste like no tack that's hard. It tastes like crap. No, crap is probably tastier than this stuff. Maybe that's the reason why wolf-boy is hiding out behind all those boxes."

* * *

Day nineteen: "You look remarkably like Link right now, you know? Walking like that," Link commented, completely bored out of his skull, watching through glazed eyes Midna actually using her legs for once instead of floating around. She was pacing non-stop, and Link could have sworn there was a rut in the wood floor.

"Yeah," Midna snarled through gritted teeth, "and speaking of which, where the hell is he?"

Navi reminded her wisely, "Teenagers need their space. He's only sixteen."

Midna shot a glare at her. "What would you know, Twinkles? You're just a flying lantern!"

"Two years ago I was dealing with a sixteen-year-old, y'know!"

"But I didn't have 'moods'—" Link protested, but was sharply cut off by Navi.

Navi screeched suddenly, her voice rising two octaves, "Oh yes you did! You'd go into these weird funks where you wouldn't talk to anybody for days!" Link could almost see the murderous aura omitting from Navi, and decided it would be better off not to correct her and remind her that it had been _her_ who had gone into a "weird funk." "And then sometimes you'd set off on me for no reason, and start shouting at me!" Link was pretty sure he had only shouted at her once, and that was because Navi had accidentally bumped him so his face had been inches from a ReDead. In Link's opinion, being that close to a rotting face was a pretty good reason to yell at somebody.

"Look who's talking!" Midna snapped, plucking Navi from her perch and shaking her viciously. "You're the one who's whaling on him, and he didn't even do anything wrong!"

"Hey! Let her go!" Link snatched Navi away from Midna, who stuck her tongue out at them and turned away. Everybody was at their wits end, apparently. Link blew out hard through his nose, knowing the peace would only last for a little while, and then he would have to come back and break up the fight between the two once more. Maybe the reason why the other Link had secluded himself from even Midna was because he couldn't stand the continuing war, either.

Funny, Link thought, as he leaned back against the wall, how if he put it that way, this little scenario was so much like the endless, repeating cycle of the Hero. The cycle he himself had started Link shook his head furiously, driving away those thoughts and tried to clear his mind. That wasn't what he should be focusing on right now.

What he should be focusing in on was nervousness in his stomach that grew with each passing moment, that dreaded gut feeling.

* * *

Link slipped out, shutting the door with a soft _click_ over Niko's soft snores. Then he tip-toed past the sleeping quarters to the door that led to the deck, and successfully got past that door without a single squeak. After all, he had oiled it this morning. He glanced upwards to the crows nest, knowing that Zuko was up there somewhere, silent as always, and was keeping watch as he always did throughout the night. It was like Zuko never had to sleep, constantly awake to observe whatever went on around. Tearing his eyes away from the crows nest, he hoisted himself onto the railing, dangling his legs over the dark waters that continued to slide past the boat's massive sides as the boat, slowly but surely, continued it's way towards the Forsaken Fortress. Screw safety. So he might fall over. His mind, slightly deprived of sleep, didn't particularly care about that right now.

It was day twenty, if he remembered correctly. Link should have known that this night would come. Night was always the time for his thoughts to roam over everything, good and bad, which formed the shadowy blanket of nighttime a less than memorable experience sometimes. The days before his eleventh birthday, he would stay up all night and contemplate the pros and cons of being an adult would be, finding so many things he wanted to hide from, only to realize at the end of his thinking marathon that it didn't really matter. What it all came down to was that he would grow up no matter what. And now, with approximately only a week and a half until he reached the Forsaken Fortress, Aryll would not leave his mind.

What if she wasn't at the Forsaken Fortress?

What if she was already dead?

What if they couldn't get into Forsaken Fortress?

What if he wasn't strong enough to protect her?

What if he failed her again?

What if, what if, what if...

"Well, you look happy," a familiar voice chuckled. Link whirled around, nearly falling off the railing, and Nudge caught his shirt. "Hasn't Gonzo told you a million times not to do that?"

Link grinned sheepishly. "My bad, Nudge."

Nudge lifted him back down from the railing with a smile. "Geez... You're so obedient all the time, but I get it now. You probably break all the rules at night, doncha?"

"Eh? No—"

"You're probably the one who stuck Gonzo's socks in Mako's dinner!"

"That was Ni—"

"And I'd bet," Nudge teased, "that you're the one who's been spreading rumors of the ghost in the storage room!"

"I'm telling you, that was Niko!" Link whined.

"Suuure it was."

After their giggles subsided, Link lay down on the deck and watched the moon while Nudge just sat down. Fiddling with his hat tip again, he could almost see Aryll smiling down from the moon face again. He stared, mesmerized, remembering the day his precious Aryll had been snatched away—

"You look a lot better as a child," Nudge commented. Link didn't answer. He didn't really understand, but Aryll's laughing face was much more important right now. It had grown even more vivid, shining brightly in the black sky, reminding Link of all he had failed to do.

After another long silence, Nudge asked quietly, "You want to talk about it?" Link jerked violently, and Nudge added, "I know something's bothering you. I might not know you as well as some...other people...but I know that you've got something going on in that little skull of yours." Link shook his head while turning his face away from Nudge. "Okay, then... Hey, let's go wake up Senza!"

"Why?" Aryll flickered, then vanished from the moon, and Link's attention switched back to Nudge.

Nudge gesticulated wildly with his arms. "Because if we wake up Senza, we get food, and if we get liquid food, we can pour it down Gonzo's shirt and watch him scream!" Nudge winked. "I normally don't do stuff like this, but for you, suffering Gonzo's wrath is okay."

"Sounds fun!" Link cheered happily, jumping to his feet, a huge grin lighting up his face.

Smiling, Nudge patted Link's head. "Much better. Now let's go get Senza!"

"Yeah!"

"What if" could wait, even if it was only for a while.

* * *

Day twenty-one: "Link?" Link whispered softly. He had borrowed the other Link's lantern, using it to cast light in the dark room. "Link? You there?" The other Link hadn't been responding to their calls at all, not even coming out for food in the past three days. Midna had just decided to sleep, her expression anxious and drawn, and Navi had followed suit out of boredom. Although Navi and Midna had just brought back the usual nightly food, only Navi had eaten so far and even for a fairy, she didn't eat much. Everybody was getting increasingly nervous from the way the other Link was ignoring them, and Link had decided that after an entire week, this 'mood' had gone too far. The other Link wasn't a child who could throw temper tantrums.

"I know you're out there, Link."

Silence.

"...At least respond, okay?"

Silence.

Link peered around another box, but there still was nobody there. "Are you asleep?"

More of the same: silence.

Link hopped lightly over a small barrel, glancing into every little area that the other Link might be hiding in. Unfortunately, there was no end to these little spaces, and Link would have to check all of them. "Seriously, if you're not sleeping, then this is just really immature. No, even if you're not sleeping, hiding out behind all this junk for so long is immature already." Link was nearing the other side of the storage room, the far side that was furthest away from where Midna and Navi were sleeping. "Unless you're on your deathbed or something, then I don't care what excuse you've got—"

Link stopped there, paralyzed as he saw the figure curled up between two crates. Raising the lantern higher, he saw the pasty skin, the sweat, and the chest falling up and down, far too quick and shallow for normal sleep. The blonde hair was matted with sweat, pressed to a face gaunt and hollowed, and as Link slowly knelt, the other Link began to cough. It sounded even worse than Link remembered the coughing fit from day thirteen, and Link shuddered just hearing the thin, breathy noise, almost feeling the sickly grating in the back of his own throat. Link waited patiently until he stopped, then lifted the limp body onto his back, trooping back through the field of boxes and barrels, ever careful not to jostle the person he was carrying.

_Unless you're on your deathbed—_

He sighed, whispering to the unconcious person on his back, "Those coughs all those days ago...they weren't fake, were they? What were you thinking, you liar..."


	11. Emit and Reoh

Disclaimer: I do not own Legend of Zelda. I also do not own the Animation Magic/Addict stores that recently popped up in a nearby shopping center, but if I did, I would tear down the entire shelf that's dedicated to guess who? MARIO (yes, the fat Italian plumber) and replace it all with LoZ goodness.

This chapter is ridiculously long, but there was no good place to stop.

Er...that the part in my summary about "rated T just in case" is going to come into play here. Just saying.

* * *

_"To save this land from the king of twilight, the lost light must be recovered," Ordona instructed, her voice monotone and emotionless. "The three Light Spirits who have lost their light must be revived."_

_Link stared at the Light Spirit. What was she getting at? How could he do anything, when he was just a boy turned wolf, utterly confused about what was going on?_

_"There is but one who can revive them and redeem this land..."_

_Now Ordona would tell him where to find this person, this great Hero who would save Hyrule from this mysterious darkness that he couldn't understand. Link breathed a sigh of relief. All he would have to do is find this person and inform him of his duty. But instead, Ordona said only one word._

_"You."_

_He didn't understand what she meant, but he didn't think he wanted to know._

* * *

"Midna," Link whispered. Navi hovered anxiously over the other Link, examining his clammy skin while Link poked Midna gingerly, suddenly loathe to touch her when he had no reason to. "Midna, wake up. Link is...back."

"What? Wolf-boy? He's done skulking around by himself?" she mumbled, shifting in her half-concious state.

"...Yes. In a way."

"Good. Get him over here so I can hear some apologies and sock some sense into his sulky brain."

"Midna, he's right here. Open your eyes."

"Why? What's up with the tone? You're talking as if somebody's dyi--" Midna froze when she caught sight of the other Link, lying still a few feet away. "Wolf-boy? L-Link?"

Link explained, "I went to go find him, and—"

"What did you do to him?" Midna hissed, her visible eye wide with anger and fear, grabbing his collar and shaking him.

"Wait, I just found him—"

But she was already gone, batting Navi aside, and slapping his cheek as if she could make him respond. "Link! Wake up!"

* * *

_Link watched the other Kokiri sadly. Suddenly, when everybody hit age five, people began to care that he didn't have a fairy. Why did that matter? The other Kokiri continued to play tag as if Link wasn't there, gazing longingly at them, and Link glimpsed eyes flicker nervously towards him several times. Did they feel bad that they had begun to exclude him? But how many weeks had it been since it started? Three, perhaps? Time was a difficult concept in the forest. The other Kokiri never minded that fact, but Link did, for some reason...only adding to his weirdness._

_"Whatcha doin'?" a voice asked curiously from behind him. Link all but jumped out of his skin, and turned around to meet a cheerful face framed with green hair. Immediately, he knew exactly who she was. _Everybody_ knew who Saria was. Link hadn't ever really talked to her before, being content to hang out with his best friend...or rather, ex-best friend Mido, and Link didn't know much about her other than the admiring whispers of the other Kokiri. But he knew that Saria was, in short, the most popular Kokiri._

_"Whatcha doin'?" Saria repeated, cocking her head to one side._

_Link's mouth wouldn't move properly. "Uh...um...I...nuh...nothing..."_

_"Really?" Saria asked cheerfully, and Link nodded hurriedly, shy to be talking to somebody knew. Saria's face darkened slightly. "You're doing nothing, while everybody else is playing?"_

_"Y-Yeah..."_

_"Why? That sounds dumb to me, sitting out here all alone."_

_Link's eyes slipped down towards his boots as he scuffed them in his nervousness. "Mido says I can't play with them..."_

_"Why not?"_

_"Because I don't have a fairy..."_

_"Oh yeah..." Saria murmured, realization dawning on her face, "you're the boy without a fairy, right?"_

_Link hung his head. Now she would leave him, because now she knew that he didn't have a fairy. Nobody wanted to talk to him, be his friend, or even invite him to play—_

_"Hey, want to play with me, then?"_

_Blinking as if he had just gotten a Deku Nut in the face, Link stared blankly at her for a moment before blurting out, "What?"_

_"Yeah! You can play with me!" Saria grinned, and held out a hand. "I don't mind that you don't have a fairy! That kind of stuff doesn't matter, you know?" When Link continued to just stare at her, she giggled and beckoned again with her hand. "Come on! Oh, and by the way, I'm Saria."_

_Finally, Link's mind wrapped itself around what was happening, and he asked, "...Why?"_

_"I don't need a reason! But if you really want a reason..." Saria said thoughtfully, trailing away for a moment to think, before brightening up again and telling Link, "Because you're my friend!"_

_"...I'm Link," Link whispered, before taking her hand and smiling._

* * *

"He's not going to wake up! He's sick!" Link said forcefully, pushing Midna away.

"No, he's not! He's pretending!"

"Midna! You're the one who was strangling me three seconds ago! You know that he's not acting!"

Midna went silent, and brushed some hair out of the other Link's eyes. "He can't die," she whispered, her voice hollow.

"He can. He's not invincible." Link sighed, watching Midna stare at the other Link. "He probably thought his body would overcome it on it's own, the fool..."

"...So what now?"

"Red potions won't work," Navi supplied, trying to be helpful. "They don't cure illnesses, only wounds. For illnesses, the only thing would be proper medicine or a fairy."

Midna glanced at Navi, looked away, then snapped her head back towards Navi. "Hey! You're a fairy yourself! You can do something about it, right?"

"I'm a _guardian_ fairy," Navi responded indignantly. "Guardian fairies and regular fairies are different."

"Oh yeah?" Midna snapped.

"Yes," Navi shot back. "Guardian fairies aren't made to heal."

"Fairies, shmaries, you're all the same! You've got at least a little healing power, right?"

"I could heal him..." Navi said slowly, her light dimming as that particular train of thought went through her mind, "...and just like a regular fairy, I _can_ heal from the smallest cut to a soul knocking at hell's gate. But regular fairies are designed to heal people over and over, whereas guardian fairy healing was designed as a last resort to protect the Kokiri the guardian fairy was entrusted with. If I so much as heal a rash...my life would be forfeit."

Link looked down, and murmured, "Fortunately, I always had either a regular fairy or a potion on me, so such a problem as never occured." Link didn't know if Navi would actually sacrifice herself for him, having only stuck with him because the Great Deku Tree had asked her to as a last request, but for Link and Navi, they didn't even want to consider that possibility.

Midna didn't say anything back, just turned back to the other Link in despair.

Raising his head, Link concluded, "And since I don't want Navi to die, there's only one option left. We take Link to the pirates."

* * *

_"O brave youth..." Faron said, his voice just as expressionless as Ordona's, "In the land covered in twilight, where people roam as spirits, you were transformed into a blue-eyed beast. That was a sign..."_

_To Link, it seemed that all the Light Spirits talked in riddles, but he wasn't going to tell them that. It had been ingrained into him by the villagers to be polite and courteous with people who weren't his close friends, even if he was having a conversation with a giant light-monkey._

_"It was a sign that the powers of the chosen one rest within you...and that they are awakening."_

_What? Wasn't he supposed to go find the person who could save Hyrule? That's what Ordona meant by, "You," right? So what was this about powers in _him_? His thoughts were almost desperate._

_"Look at your awakened form..."_

_Link tore his eyes away from the Light Spirit, still confused, and glanced down at his right hand. It was no longer the unbound skin that he expected, and dark gauntlets covered his palm. Gasping, he stared at his left, which was the same. He caught his sleeve in the corner of his eye, and his gaze swept over the rest of himself, taking in the unfamiliar green tunic that had replaced his usual clothes. The straps were tight against his chest, and the chain-mail unbearably heavy. He could feel leggings on his legs and suffocating boots. Finally, he stared back at his hands, disbelieving, his shoulders slumped in shock._

_"The green tunic that is your garb once belonged to the ancient hero chosen by the gods... His power is yours. His is the true power that slept within you." Faron's cold eyes met Link's wide ones, while everything clicked into place._

_To be a Hero in charge of saving Hyrule would mean so much responsibility, so much weight, and Link knew that much... But suddenly, the entire concept of what to be the Hero meant hit him a few seconds after Faron paused in his monologue, and _then_ he realized what it would mean to fail. If he didn't succeed in rounding up the goats in under a minute, then nobody would die, but now... He wasn't ready! He couldn't do this! It couldn't possibly be true, he was just Link, and he was a simple ranch hand in Ordon village, he couldn't be the Hero, he didn't know how to be a Hero—_

_—he wasn't good enough—_

_—so please don't say—_

_"Your name is Link. You are the hero chosen by the gods."_

_And Link could only think, Well, fuck you, giant monkey._

* * *

"It's the only way," Navi reminded Midna.

"These are _pirates_!" Midna insisted. "Cold-hearted, blood-thirsty _pirates_!"

Link unclenched his fist, finding it curiously hard to keep this temper in check. Why couldn't she see? "They took the boy in, and besides, they're Link's only hope! You see anybody else around here with the ability to help him? ...Other than Navi?"

"But, what about the kid—"

"Let me put it this way: either we stay in here and let him die and possibly catch what he has at the same time, or we give up on the boy, pray for the pirates to have a heart, and give Link a chance at survival!" Link knew that was a bit harsh, but that was the situation.

Midna's eyes turned back to the other Link, expression pained, and she murmured, "I can't believe he did it all for the kid..."

"Do you think I don't want to follow the boy to the Forsaken Fortress as well?" Link asked, his voice a little kinder. He was already tying his hat around the lower part of his face, feeling his breath hot against his skin. "I believe he will be the next Hero, meaning there's a possibility Hyrule is somewhere out there...and if following the boy means finding Hyrule, then I certainly do not wish to have to give up on tailing the boy. But this," he paused for effect, trying to hammer his message into Midna's obviously confused mind, "is a matter of life or death for Link. And if the pirates prove hostile, I'm sure we'll be fine."

Hmmm...now that he mentioned it, he was choosing the other Link over the possibility of finding Hyrule... But this was a life. He wasn't going to choose a life over his own needs...or obsession, as Navi put it.

"Just stop and think it over," Link told her, and Midna actually did as he suggested. After a while, her breathing rate slowed down, and her fingers stopped strangling each other.

"...Damnit..." Midna muttered under her breath. "I can't believe I wasn't thinking straight... I'm sorry." Link stopped adjusting his mask. She was actually _apologizing_? And there wasn't a single snappy retort coming from her, either. "I wasn't in my right mind, I guess." She snapped her fingers, and both Link's sword, shield, and pouches disappeared into twilight particles. "I'll be holding these for you two, so you don't freak anybody out. So, fairy-boy, let's quit dawdling and haul ourselves up on deck. We've got an idiot to save."

* * *

_"Fairy-less, you can't talk to Saria today," Mido said, puffing himself up and trying to look important._

_"Why not?" Link asked simply, easily restraining his anger through years of practice. Years of shunning and people being reluctant to even talk to you was something that nurtured high tolerance and patience._

_Mido shoved him back, sneering, "Because you're not a real Kokiri! Real Kokiri have fairies!"_

_"If I'm not a Kokiri, what am I, then?"_

_Pausing for a minute, Mido seemed to think, then smirked. "You're a freak, that's what!"_

_"Mido! That's mean!" Saria exclaimed, poking Mido hard on the back of the head._

_"S-Saria? How—"_

_"You're both so easy to sneak up on!" Saria scolded, shaking her head. Taking Link's hand, she grinned. Saria said, "C'mon, let's go," and whispered the last part, "to our secret spot!"_

_Link smiled back, knowing that even if Mido picked on him, at least he had Saria. They ran off, leaving Mido behind to glower by himself._

* * *

When Link opened the trapdoor, the first thing he saw was the boy hanging from a rope, trying to swing himself onto a raised platform. "Oi, oi, swabbie! That's the way! Kick yer legs like that!" A ratty-looking pirate was jumping up and down on one side of the room. "Yeah, that's how—EEK!" the rat-pirate screeched, pointing at Link. "G-G-Ghost! From the storage room!"

"Ah--blonde hair! Blue eyes! Mask around your face!" the boy exclaimed, grinning wide from his position overhead. "It's mystery-man!"

"You've got the wrong one," Link told him softly as the kid dropped from the rope. "The one you met is over here." He jerked his head towards the unconscious person on his back.

"What? But—"

"We happen to look similar," Link lied smoothly. He would have to play this liar game even if he didn't want to, and lie just as well as he had witnessed Midna and the other Link while they played cards, because the stakes in this game weren't just a few strips of dried meat anymore. This was a life on the line, and the opponents were pirates who could probably smell a liar a mile away. "Can you please—"

"STOWAWAYS!" the rat-pirate roared on the top of his tiny lungs, and Link snorted. He had been about to ask if they could call the captain, but it seemed rat-pirate didn't need anybody to tell him that. "EVERYBODY, COME QUICK, IT'S STOWAWAYS!"

Both Navi and Midna had learned all the pirate's names and their faces during their nightly trips, so Navi had given him descriptions of each pirate and their names. Hopefully he would be able to remember them all. Navi had told him, "Tetra's Tetra; you know who she is. There were two pirates on the beach with her, and the tall one was Gonzo, the short one was Niko. There's a dark-skinned one named Senza, he's pretty obvious. There will be a short one with glasses, he's Mako, and there will be another shorty with a telescope named Zuko. The tallest one is named Nudge." So rat-pirate was Niko, as Link recalled him being the shorter pirate on the beach.

Link carefully set down the other Link on the floor, listening to the stampeding footsteps from upstairs, and nodded subtly to the one red eye that blinked in the other Link's shadow to acknowledge the gesture. He didn't dare peek at Navi, though, who was in his pocket, because the pocket was already glowing slightly as it was. One by one, the pirates filed into the room at a dash, although a dark-skinned one came in at a more comfortable pace, not as thrilled or enthusiastic as the others. The captain girl Tetra was still not here, oddly enough. A small crowd, including the boy, had formed around the two Links, all the pirates completely disregarding the ladder and jumping down to where Link waited.

"I found the stowaways!" Niko said proudly. "I found them!" Nobody listened to his claims, though, so Niko began to pout.

"Where were they hiding all this time?" a muscularish pirate wearing a green shirt and red bandanna asked dully. Link immediately recognized him to be Gonzo.

A dark-skinned man pointed, his blunt action not mocking or ridiculing the rather dumb question. "In there, the storage room." Dark skin...Senza.

"Oh?" a short one with glasses came up, a huge book tucked awkwardly under his arm. Short with glasses would be Mako. "That's something new... I never knew about them."

"M-Mako didn't know?" a tall pirate with black hair and gray-blue shirt gasped. "Mako, I thought you knew everything!" The speaker this time was the tallest by a few inches, so Link assumed him to Nudge.

"It seems something has slipped my notice," Mako said matter-of-factly.

"Why didn't Zuko find out about them, then?" Gonzo demanded, pointing somewhere behind him, and Link spied a motley little man clutching a telescope, standing a little away from the rest of the crowd like Senza.

"He's up in the crows nest almost all the time, and just because he tends to pick up a lot of information, it doesn't mean that he purposely snoops around and looks for tidbits," Mako said matter-of-factly, shifting his glasses, peering at Link and then the other Link who lay on the floor. "What do we have here?"

Senza sprung to life and swooped through the crowd, taking in all the symptoms and realizing exactly what must have happened. He nearly peeled off the mask around the other Link's face with a finger, but Link made a quick gesture that Senza responded with a shrug. Finally, Senza declared simply, "A patient," and lifted the other Link easily and made for the ladder. Link was surprised at the hospitality that came so readily; he had expected a harsher welcome.

"You go nowhere, Senza," Tetra commanded from the top of the ladder, and Senza stopped cold.

* * *

_"A castle official?" Link asked in wonder._

_Rusl nodded, and Ilia squealed in delight. "Yes, yes, I know you're excited, but you have to stay out of the way so you don't bother us, okay? You're just children. Maybe in two, three years, when you're fifteen or so, you can meet any officials who come our way yourselves." Ilia nodded frantically, and Rusl patted her head. "Good girl."_

_"Let's go, Ilia!" Link pulled on her hand, then quickly waved to Rusl. "Good-bye, Mr. Rusl!" He smiled in response, then began walking across the bridge to meet the official._

_"Hey Ilia," Link whispered as soon as Rusl was gone, "let's spy on them!"_

_"Why?" Ilia asked, confused._

_Link shrugged. "'Cuz it might be fun."_

_"That's it?"_

_"That's it."_

_"...Okay!"_

_So when the official arrived, they hid behind houses and watched Rusl lead the stiff-looking official to his house. While Rusl and the official talked inside, Link and Ilia snooped around by a window. After several minutes of listening with much perplexity to the political talk going on, Link nudged Ilia with his elbow and breathed, "What do you think they mean b—"_

_"Ow!" Ilia whispered hotly, rubbing her arm where Link had nudged her._

_"What?"_

_Her voice beginning to rise, she hissed, "Stop doing that so hard!"_

_"Doing what?" Link asked mischieviously. Now Link was just trying to get on her nerves, completely forgetting all about the conversation they were supposed to be listening in on._

_"Elbowing me like that!"_

_"Well, I'm sorry," he retorted, barely containing a wicked grin, "I didn't realize that _girls_ were so weak."_

_"I'M NOT A GIRL!" Ilia shouted on the top of her lungs, smacking Link, making him wince from both her shrill voice screaming in his sensitive ears and her physical attack...which didn't really hurt, much to his amusement._

_Rusl poked his head out the window, looking down with a mix of disapproval and humor at the two crouching underneath, who looked up at him sheepishly. He commented dryly, "...Wow. If you're going to eavesdrop, let me give you a tip: don't start screaming at each other."_

_Link and Ilia whispered together, "Sorry, Mr. Rusl..."_

_"They're just kids," the official chuckled in his deep voice, "They're growing up." He joined Rusl at the window and eyed the two with a stern eye, but a smile was curling itself under his neatly trimmed mustache._

_"I'm so sorry, sir," Link apologized hastily, ducking his head as he stumbled to his feet, dragging Ilia with him. She wrenched her arm free, giving him the evil eye, still not quite over him calling her a girl. "It'll never happen again, sir, really—"_

_"Young'uns," the official said simply, shaking his head as he sighed wisely, "Youth is a precious thing indeed... They are on the cusp of adulthood, and they will not have time for such frivolities...such freedom..." He gestured for them to leave, so Link and Ilia scurried off, breathing hard from their first encounter with somebody from out of the village._

* * *

When had she gotten there on the top of the ladder? Tetra's blue eyes were narrowed, and her hands set firmly on her hips with authority. "Who was supposed to check the storage room? Gonzo?"

Gonzo shrunk away from her glare, waving his arms in denial. "I thought Niko was supposed to do that!"

Niko squeaked at the sudden accusation, then pointed wildly at the boy beside him. "I thought Link was supposed to do that!"

The boy was taken aback, then looked down at his feet. "I...I'm sorry. I didn't know I was supposed to..."

Niko glanced nervously between the shamefaced kid and the angry captain, then blurted out, "Okay, okay! It was my job, and I knew it! I'm sorry!"

"Exactly, Niko. I'll deal with your punishment later," Tetra said quietly, an ominous ring in her tone. Everybody in the room seemed to shrink in fear...except the boy. He didn't really seem to mind. "But I think that first, we need explanations from this person here. I'm curious to know who mystery-man is underneath that cloth." Link thought he saw her eyes dart towards the pocket that Navi hid in, but since she made no comment on it, he assumed that it was his overreactive imagination and dismissed it.

"Again," Link explained for the second time, "the person you met was him." Pointing to the other Link in Senza's arms, he continued, "We look alike if we cover the lower halves of our faces, which we both do because of a tradition from our patron country." More tale-spinning on the spot, and Link found he was pretty good at it, although his heart was pounding at all the filthy lies spewing from his mouth. Now, if he could just remember everything and stay consistent through interrogations...

Tetra took one look from one Link to the other, and slapped her hand to her face. "There's _two_ of them? Oh, this just keeps getting better and better... Mystery-man helps me save the boy from falling off a cliff, and now I find that mystery-man has a twin and both of them have snuck onto my ship..." Her tone was sarcastic, signaling that she bought the idea that they only looked alike if the lower half of their faces were covered. Shaking her head, she snapped her fingers at Link, hopping nimbly down from the top of the ladder as she did. "Right. What you're doing here, now."

"We are both traveling warriors," Link fudged, concocting more lies as he went. "We hail from beyond this sea, from a great kingdom far away." Well, it was partly true. The duty as Hero demanded much traveling, never staying in one place long enough to feel a sense of belonging, and calling Hyrule a great kingdom far away was bending the truth until it broke on its own.

"You're avoiding the question. Why. Are. You. Here!" Tetra drew closer and closer to Link as she spat each word, and Link could see why she held command over grown men. To see such anger on an eleven-year-old's face was intimidating and frightful, if not downright disturbing that one of her age should possess that kind of fire in her eyes.

"I'm...here on a mission from my kingdom," Link answered evasively, keeping eye contact with Tetra so she wouldn't figure out that pretty much everything he had said was untruth. "That person over there," he pointed towards the other Link, "and I have both been," and he paused slightly here, and finished, "banished from our homeland." That was bending the truth...a lot...but there was still a grain of truth in there. It was just a play on words, Link justified. "And because we've been banished, we have to wear masks around the lower halves of our faces as a mark of shame." That was a flat out lie.

"Oh, you poor things! Banished! How horrible!" Gonzo exclaimed, his voice trembling and his eyes beginning to water. If Gonzo was going to cry over just that, how this man could ever be a pirate was beyond Link.

"Boo hoo, that doesn't explain why you're on my ship!" Tetra snarled, cutting Gonzo off.

"In order to return to our kingdom and reverse our banishment," Link began, unsure of where he was going with this, "we have to perform a certain deed."

"...Which is?" Tetra asked, trying to get him to spit it all out. Unfortunately, Link couldn't do that, because he didn't have it all ready to tell. His mind was spinning rapidly, trying to think of something, anything—

"This deed is to aid somebody in a quest," Link said finally. It was really vague, and he wouldn't be surprised if Tetra didn't already know it was all baloney, but it was certainly worth a shot. The other option would be to tell the truth, which would be sitting at a lake in an alternate world and suddenly finding a cyclone attempting to steal his fairy.

"So you're following this kid," Tetra completed, disbelief everywhere in her voice as she connected the dots between "quest" and the kid hitchhiking a ride to Forsaken Fortress. The boy blinked in surprise, grinning uneasily when heads turned his way and blushing with embarrassment.

"Yes. Yes, we are."

"You're actually following the kid because you think you can reverse your banishment that way."

"Yes."

"And this kid barging into the rumored center of hell on a suicide mission to save his sister counts as a 'great quest'."

"...I wouldn't exactly put it that way, but yes, it does."

* * *

_"Don't let anything Mido says get to you, okay? You're not a freak." Saria assured him._

_Link looked down, and his pace began to slow slightly._

_"So you're different!" Saria said, her tone stern. "But that doesn't mean anything!"_

_Link stopped altogether, jerking Saria to a halt as well. "No... I was just thinking... Even if I'm not a freak, sometimes...I can't help but think that I'm not really a Kokiri..."_

_"Of course you're a Kokiri!" Saria insisted. "To be anything other than a Kokiri would mean that you've come from the world outside the forest!"_

_"Sometimes I think that's where I belong... You've seen me come up with ideas nobody else does, or say words that nobody understands. Do _you_ know what a 'castle' is? Maybe the Great Deku Tree told you, but do you know how I would know what a 'castle' is?"_

_"Well..." Saria trailed away. It was more of an answer than anything else she possibly could have said._

_"No, you don't, and I don't either. But I'm the one who said it!" Link rocked back on his heels, watching a dragonfly zip by. "Maybe I did come from outside. Maybe the Great Deku Tree wasn't telling the truth."_

_Saria shook her head, sighing. "You say that as if it matters." She tugged on his hand again, and they both kept running through the village in silence until they reached the tunnel to the Lost Woods._

_"And," Saria said softly with a smile, "whether you did or not all depends on you."_

_Link didn't really understand what she meant, but didn't ask, either._

* * *

"Oh, dear Nayru..." she muttered, crossing her arms and glaring at the unconscious person who still lay in Senza's arms. Finally, she snapped her fingers again, motioning for Gonzo. "Gonzo, search mystery-man number two here for weapons." Link was suddenly extremely grateful that Midna had thought of taking their swords and shields... And not only that, wasn't she the one who had suggested changing their clothes? Link would have to thank Midna later. "Nudge, take number two to my room after Gonzo's done. Senza, take mystery-man number one to the sleeping quarters and see if he's not a dead man already. Mako, search your books for any reference to this kingdom."

"Aye-aye, Cap'n!" Mako said dutifully, then climbed up the ladder. Zuko, curiously, began to follow him, before Mako shook his head. "You're needed here." Zuko nodded mutely, then returned back to his spot.

"Yes ma'am..." Senza said casually. "Er...mystery-man number two, don't be expecting much. Number one over here looks like he's going to croak anytime now." Link pressed his lips together, but inclined his head slightly in thanks and response. If only Link had tried to find the other Link sooner...

"Oh! Sen—Sir!" Link called after Senza, cursing himself for almost calling the pirate by name, "please don't take off his mask, okay? We try to follow the tradition. And leave that bandage around his left hand. There's an old scar there that he...doesn't like people to see." That too wasn't exactly entirely a lie. Link was pretty sure the other Link regarded the Triforce of Courage as a hideous scar that Link had given him.

"Left hand, sure, but for the face mask, I kinda have to," Senza replied, shrugging. "He's not getting enough air with this thing on."

"...It's tradition for the banished warriors of our kingdom to cover their faces as a mark of shame, so the less people see him without his mask on, the better..." Link hinted.

"Who cares; stick him in the sleeping quarters and take it off if you have to," Tetra ordered in a clipped tone, waving a hand to dismiss what Link had said.

Link locked eyes with Senza, silently pleading for help. Senza turned away and said, "Miss, the patient could possibly be contagious. The mask might actually be a good idea if he starts coughing, although the fabric should certainly be thinner so he can breathe."

"Fine. Keep his face covered, but he's still going to the sleeping quarters."

"And, Miss..."

"Yes?" Tetra sighed, irritated.

"It would be better if a sick man were not in the sleeping quarters."

"Where else would we put him?"

"If I may, there's your room, Miss," Senza suggested.

Tetra flared up, eyes burning, but Senza didn't flinch, and Link was sure that the man either suicidal or incredibly stupid to be arguing against this girl. He could see Niko cringing, and the boy staring skeptically at Senza, sharing Link's worry that Senza might end up walking the plank or something similar. After a moment, Nudge came to the rescue with, "We can always put you somewhere else, Miss, and there really is no other place to put him."

Tetra groaned. "Alright, alright. Put him in my room. At least we'll be able to wash the sheets or something..." So, Link thought, she listens to Nudge, but not Senza, even if Senza had a better argument.

"Aye, Miss," Senza replied evenly.

"And so we can stop calling you number one, number two," Tetra said, her voice losing some of it's harsh quality, "let's go back to my original question and get you to introduce yourselves."

Link hadn't prepared names, or prepared any story at all, for that matter. He should have, having had plenty of time to set something up in his mind before he opened the trapdoor, but he hadn't. Therefore, he was stuck with the same situation as the one by the bridge, with the boy asking what his name was, and Link frantically searching his mind for something he could use.

"I'm...Emit."

Tetra wrinkled her nose. "What kind of name is that?" It was kind of a dumb one, Link had to admit, but it wasn't changeable now. "So who's mystery-man number one?" At least now that Link had figured out his own name, it wasn't hard to create another one. He actually smiled humorlessly to himself, much to Tetra's puzzlement, as he imagined the other Link's reaction to his new name...if he survives, his mind added on it's own, and his hollow smile vanished.

"Reoh."

* * *

_"Ordona..."_

_"Yes, O Hero chosen by the gods?"_

_Link squeezed his eyes shut so she wouldn't see him rolling his eyes...although, she being an incredibly magical-looking goat made of light, Link wouldn't be surprised if Ordona could sense his sarcastic response. "You still won't call me by name?"_

_"It is hardly proper."_

_"I see."_

_"What is it you wish to speak with me about, O Hero?"_

_"Faron mentioned an 'ancient hero.' Eldin said something about me being an reincarnation after I practically staked out his spring and demanded answers, but that's all he told me. The Kakariko shaman had some old legends that were told of an ancient hero..." Link's voice carried a slight plea in it. "Can _you_ tell me about this ancient hero...please? The truth?"_

_It felt very weird to be having a conversation with a disembodied voice, because Ordona had not taken shape, and only her deadpan voice signaled that this spring was not normal. "It...is not necessary for your quest."_

_"Tell me, Ordona." Dear Farore, did he just order a Light Spirit to cough up information? What was wrong with him today? Did finding that there was yet another enemy, the Demon Thief Ganondorf, upset him this much? No, he felt it had more to do with the distraught expression on Midna's face as she saw the broken Mirror, although he wasn't quite sure why._

_"The second shard of the Mirror of Twilight awaits you in the snowy mountains—"_

_"I know," Link interupted, feeling emotions that he had kept locked away for so long threatening to break out. Already, cutting somebody off went against how he usually acted as Hero—hell, talking went against how he usually acted as Hero—and Midna's eye blinked from his shadow before disappearing again. "Just...please. I know it's my destiny to save Hyrule, and I know that sooner of later I'm going to have to climb that mountain," and Link briefly spared a dry reflection to the metaphorical value of his sentence, "but it wouldn't hurt for you to give me _some_ information. It'll take, what, five minutes?" And Link wanted to put off his duties for as long as he could..._

_"I do not wish to be guilty of disclosing such information. I am sure that you could ask Lanayru."_

_Link's face darkened. Lanayru was the last Light Spirit he wanted to talk to. In his mind, even when he knew he shouldn't, he blamed both Zant and Lanayru for torturing Midna. It had been Zant who was responsible for forcing Lanaryu into doing the deed, but it was still Lanayru's light that nearly killed her. ...That, and Lanayru had been the one who had shown him that bizarre vision. Just walking into the spring sent too many memories reeling through his head._

_"I...think I'll give Lanayru a miss. And I'm sure that nobody will think badly of you if you tell me...?" There was no answer, so Link tried again with, "I was really hoping that you could help me, being from my home province and all..."_

_"...It is lost knowledge. And it is better for such knowledge to remain lost."_

_"Lost? Then how did the shaman..."_

_"The shaman under the protection of Eldin has heard legends, yes, but of another hero. That hero does not exist...although this imaginary hero's accomplishments are similar to the real hero. We Light Spirits have long since suspected that the sole mortal who remembered the true hero purposely leaked whispers of the true hero's tale under a different alias, so he would be remembered, although his true story and identity has been lost by time as time intended it to be."_

_"Alright, then..."_

_"And information concerning the ancient hero is extremely confidential. The Goddesses would be most displeased if you were to tell a single soul..."_

_"I'm not going to go blabbing about anything, Ordona. I'd keep it a secret from everybody," Link assured her quickly, hope rising. She was responding!_

_"...I see you will not be swayed. The ancient Hero was your past self, as Eldin has told you. He was known as the Hero of Time."_

_"Okay," Link urged, restraining an estatic grin. For once, being a reincarnation of somebody did not bother him, and he was focused completely on the new information. Hero of Time? It was a lot shorter than Hero Chosen by the Gods or Goddesses or whatever title he had wound up with._

_"His tale has been claimed by time, the goddess of having decided long ago that the memory of his deeds should not remain in this world."_

_"Do you...want to clarify that?" Again, the Light Spirits were talking in riddles. Before, when he had just started out on his quest and his mask was still fresh, he would have been able to keep the irritation out his voice, but now it was faintly showing through._

_"In his era," Ordona continued, and Link guessed she was going to ignore his request, "when Ganondorf rose to power and cast his dark rule over Hyru—"_

_"Hang on. Ganondorf _what_?" He mentally smacked himself. Where were his manners?_

_"When Ganondorf rose to power."_

_"So—"_

_"Long ago, the Hero of Time cast down Ganondorf with the blade of evil's bane, as you must."_

_Link stared at the spring waters, then said bluntly, "And Ganondorf's still around why?"_

_"The Hero of Time did not kill Ganondorf, as the crest of the goddesses protected the King of Evil from the clutches of death. Ganondorf was sealed away instead." So it was the Hero of Time who started this whole mess! But before Link could ask anything else, Ordona said, "I have already said too much. This is all that you will hear from me. Go, O Hero Chosen by the Gods."_

_"But—"_

_"It is your destiny to save Hyrule. It is inescapable. Go."_

_Link stared at the empty spring, then nodded slowly. "And no amount of delaying will help me avoid this destiny, will it?"_

_"No."_

* * *

"He...has a chance," Senza said uncertainly. He leaned back in his chair and looked sidelong back at Link and Tetra, who was waving Mako out of the room. "Why the hell did you wait so long to show yourselves?"

"I wasn't aware he was sick until...hmmm...twenty minutes ago?" Link replied defensively, a tinge of annoyance tainting his words. He shifted in his chair, while Tetra got out of hers and began to pace, either thinking of whatever Mako had whispered in her ear or the situation the other Link was in.

Senza let out a low whistle. "Did the sweating and coughing fits not tip you off?"

"He was hiding away from me for the past week."

"Is this mask thing really that important?" Tetra demanded, changing the subject.

"Yes."

"And there's a reason why Senza is allowed to see his face, but I'm not?"

"Yes."

"Want to tell me?"

"No."

Tetra muttered something under her breath that sounded suspiciously similar to a very filthy word. Nudge poked her warningly, and she rolled her eyes. "So, Emit, we've got something to discuss."

She was going to ask all sorts of questions now, and Link was going to have to concoct lie after lie to answer her. But Tetra caught his look and shook her head. "No, no, I have no interest in your kingdom anymore."

Uh-oh. Did that have something to do with Mako whispering in Tetra's ear?

"I just have something I want to know—how are you going to pay for Senza's service as doctor?" Tetra said, eyes flashing dangerously. "I think that fifty thousand rupees should do the job, yeah?"

Navi poked Link sharply, and Link shared her thoughts: They didn't have that much. He remembered Midna mentioning something about the other Link being broke, and although Link still had a sizable amount of money, it wasn't anywhere near half that much. He stated flatly, "Extortionist." He was never so rude to people, yet here he was, insulting Tetra. Why did he do that?

Tetra smirked. "So you don't have enough rupees, eh? Then how do you have?"

Midna had both Link and the other Link's magic pouches, which contained their wallets, so he would have to go by memory. Quickly, he tried to remember who had given him what: that brunette gave him an orange rupee on that day, that elderly woman from the day before that insisted he keep a red rupee, sacrificing a purple rupee for the robber, and the other numerous incidents involving money, then calculating what that added up to. He thanked the Goddesses he'd made a habit of taking note of little things. Combining the computations with the number he had gotten last time he ran an inventory check and actually counted his rupees so he could budget for some fancy shield polish he had seen but hadn't bought, he said finally, "Eight, nine thousand."

"Pay six thousand, we'll give you a rowboat. We're somewhere in between the Western Fairy Isle and Rock Spire Isle, so maybe you can find somebody on those two islands who'll save your buddy Reoh. They're only a few miles from where we are. Of course, from what I know of those two particular islands, both of them are deserted." Tetra cracked her knuckles and yawned. "Well, that's done. I'm hungry. What's for dinner, Senza?"

Link couldn't believe it. No, no, no, they couldn't just leave the other Link to die! He had to go back to his own time and finish Ganondorf! But before he could protest, the young Link from Outset Island jumped out from behind the door and cried, "Wait! Isn't there _anything_ Emit can do? You can't be that mean, Miss!" Link stared at him; Link had been totally unaware that the boy had been listening the entire time. Another thing that was off about him today, because Link knew that usually he would have been alert and wary, thus aware of the possibility of eavesdroppers.

Tetra appeared unfazed, and Link began to speculate that she had known about his presence and let him stay there anyway. "I can. We're pirates; what did you expect, swabbie? We let you on the ship because I'm partly responsible for your sister's kidnapping, but that's the only reason why you're here." Tetra glanced at Link again before turning away. "Too bad, Emit."

"No!" Link shot up, knocking the chair over, his eyes glaring from above his mask. Senza raised a questioning eyebrow at Link's sudden burst of emotion, and the boy jerked in shock. He could see why, as the Emit they had witnessed so far was normally a calm person...and Link really was usually a cool-headed person. So what in Hyrule was he doing? "You can't! You just...can't!" He couldn't find words, so he ended up repeating himself like a moron.

Tetra's cold blue eyes swept over him, and it seemed her pointed ears twitched at his outburst and her lips quirked into a ghost of a smile that vanished so quickly Link questioned whether or not he had actually seen it. "...Well, you seem of a good build. I suppose that since you care so much about your friend, if you can't pay with rupees, there's one other thing you might be able to do. If you want to give Reoh a chance at another day, you'll agree to my demands, and then I'll tell Senza to do whatever he can to save Reoh." The boy looked nervously at Senza, who eyed his captain with a knowing stare.

Link ignored them, and said quickly, "Demands? Let's hear them." Hope rose in Link's heart, until Navi poked him _again_. He knew what she was warning him about. It was that "case of selflessness" that she nagged him about, or what she also called "stupidity," where Link tended to put others before himself, no matter what the cost to him, no matter if he liked the person, hated the person, or even knew him or her. And now that he thought about it, it seemed that the other Link had gotten infected with it, too.

Tetra didn't say anything for a while, apparently trying to think of what she could get out of him while she held the other Link's life in her hands. "I'm pretty sure that nothing's beyond me," Link admitted in an attempt to speed up her thinking, and it was true.

"Really? What would you do to save Reoh's life?"

If he told the truth, the honest answer practically begged to be taken advantage of... But nevertheless, he needed her to agree to giving the other Link medical attention, no matter what the price or how low the odds the other Link's survival may be. So he said perhaps the one truthful statement in the last hour.

"Anything."

"...Alright, then, I've decided. I'll name my price now."Tetra's eyes glowed with mischief and a conniving smile stretched her lips wide, apparently deciding on her demand. Blue eyes locked with blue, and Link thought that he almost knew what she was going to say before she did—

"Join my crew."


	12. Hopeless

Disclaimer: I do not own Legend of Zelda. And I'm sticking all my author's notes here, because the ending grew on me to the extent that I can't disturb it with author's notes.

I'm sorry for the delay on this chapter. FF.N was being an asshole and wasn't letting my upload my documents.

I'm no longer following the one-word chapter titles rule. Too much headache. Sometimes I spend more time trying to think of a one word title than I do editing. But very oddly, this chapter's title is very nicely one word.

Oh, and go re-watch the cutscene that's part one. The first italicized section. No, seriously, go watch it again. Link's expression really does change when he sees them. I just interpreted it in my own way.

* * *

_"Leave the children to me. I will watch over them, I swear it." The shaman pulled up besides Colin, glancing down at the boy before turning to Link. "Do not let their fates trouble you. Go to those who need you." Need him? Oh yes, that's right, Link snapped sarcastically to himself inside his own head, he was in charge of saving everybody. Dammit. Well, he'd get around to protecting everybody...if he didn't crack under the pressure first. Just because he hadn't been able to find a single bug in Kakariko, he'd nearly gone into hysterics, thinking frantically about how scared Talo, Colin, and Beth must be...waiting for him..._

_But Link merely smiled in appreciation, a million things he wanted to say piling up in his mind, but he bit them all back. He was the Hero. He was polite, kind, and soft-spoken. Everything he was not. But his smile was genuine, unlike so many expressions he had plastered on his features, all the courteous words he had spoken of late. He was truly thankful that the shaman had assured him of the children's safety._

_At this rate, he should just become an actor._

_The rest of the children huddled by the shaman, creating a supporting force behind Colin. His face thoughtful, the shaman continued, "In Hyrule, countless tales are told of the ancient hero...and your deeds bring them all to mind." Link's face didn't move, but his mind turned to panic and excitement. But before he could say anything, the shaman intoned, "May the graces of the great goddesses who shaped Hyrule bear you on your way."_

_And the shaman bowed, his daughter Luda obediently following along, and Talo and Beth looked in surprise at the two. Link's eyes widened. No! The shaman and his daughter couldn't be bowing to him! He was just Link, ranch-hand and orphan who wanted to become his tiny, secluded village's mayor! And to make matters worse, Talo and Beth quickly bowed as well after a moment's hesitation. Link stared in shock, his blue eyes vacant and wide with surprise...then his eyes hardened with barely restrained anger that the people before him could not see due to their bowed heads._

_Even they thought he was the Hero._

* * *

There were rules—or rather, demands—to being a crew member that Tetra had warned Link about before Link made his decision.

Rule number one: Tetra's word is law. Tetra's wish is your command. Anything she says, you do without a moment's hesitation.

Rule number two: No secrets from Tetra. There could be secrets from other crew members, but Tetra is to know everything. Tetra had told him, with a knowing glint: "If I don't pick it up somehow, then Mako will, and I'll find it out from him. And if Mako doesn't find out, then Zuko will, and Zuko will pass it to Mako who'll tell me. Simple, yeah?"

Rule number three: Gonzo's word is law if Tetra isn't there. No matter how short-tempered or dull-witted he may be and how nonsensical his orders may be at times, unless you want to take the case to Tetra and complain, Gonzo is not to be questioned. Tetra, apparently, trusts him to pull through in the end...or something.

Rule number four: No fighting aboard Tetra's ship. Arguing, yes, playful punches, fine; all-out brawling and fist-fights, no. Technically, Tetra wouldn't be able to do anything if two crew members decided to go at each other and murderous intent, being only eleven and all, but she seemed fearsome enough with that glare of hers so Link didn't question it.

Rule number five: If you're a swabbie, which was basically Niko and all below him, then anything that any other crew member says is your orders that you cannot fight against. If Mako has a new invention and he needs a guinea pig to test it on, then there's nothing you can do, even it could potentially be extremely hazardous to your health. If Nudge wants you to sing a song while cleaning the deck, no matter what public humiliation it might cause, you do it. And was was even weirder was that Tetra's toned implied that Nudge asking such a thing wouldn't really be beyond him.

Rule number six: Stop being such a baby and eat whatever nastiness Senza has cooked up. It's good for you, and most of the time, it doesn't taste as bad as it looks. And unless Mako had a hand in preparing the recipe by trying out his latest invention to do whatever craziness he's into, it won't kill you.

Rule number seven: Where Tetra goes, the crew goes. And for that matter, where any crew member goes, the rest follow, unless you're supposed to stay behind temporarily to watch the ship or something along those lines. Or Tetra purposely orders to you to do something solo, which, apparently, she never does.

Rule number eight: If the captain sees fit to abandon you and throw you out of the crew, then that should be regarded as a punishment worse than death. There is no element of shame, humiliation, or social outcasting; in fact, the crew may very well have lingering attachments to the abandoned crew member and are perfectly allowed to have such attachments, but if the captain deserts you, then that is the worse possible punishment. To many pirates, death is preferred.

Rule number nine: This was a rule that Tetra hadn't really described too well, just vaguely mentioned something about friends and crew members and gestured the rest of the time, at loss on how to put it into words. What Link got out of it was a "friends are important" message, but it certainly didn't sound like the crew was friends from the previous rules. It sounded a lot more like some sort of slave business to him.

Tetra concluded, "To be a crew member means that you live and die for me. Your freedom is stripped from you and given to me, and I will determine how much you deserve. You play by my rules, and I'll bend, break, change, and make rules whenever, however I want. Your every move is controlled by me. I am your puppet-master, and you are only the puppet. And if I say that you will not leave this ship and follow the kid into Forsaken Fortress, then you will not. Are the stakes clear?"

"Crystal."

"Your answer?"

"You really need it?"

"I want to hear you admit it. Are you in my crew or not?"

"...Aye, Captain."

* * *

_Link eased open the door, seeing the golden barrier that surrounded Hyrule Castle and the golden wolf that sat in front of it. He could hear it's trademark breathing, even from here. Slowly, he walked forward, his boots slapping the hard stone floor, and faced the one-eyed wolf. Staring right into it's single eye, he drew the Master Sword and his shield, hearing the screech of metal as the blade was drawn, and got into a fighting stance. Why he always did this, he didn't know, but felt compelled to draw whenever he saw the wolf. It was almost as if the unwavering stare of that single red eye struck a certain fear in him, something that Link didn't feel often anymore. It was almost as if...the wolf knew him inside and out, and it made Link feel unguarded. It wasn't a good feeling. With all the hiding he did recently, he supposed Midna was the only person who really knew him anymore._

_The wolf studied him with it's emotionless gaze for a moment longer, then got into it's own crouch. With a bark, it lunged, leaping high into the air, and Link blacked out._

_It was that familiar cold ground that was pressed against Link's cheek when he woke again, and the heavy pant of the golden wolf somewhere. Link climbed to his feet as he always did, already settling his body in a defensive position as he saw the wolf sitting in front of him. The wolf howled, as it always did, and after a bright flash, the Hero's Shade stood in it's place. Only then did Link force himself to put away his weapons out of courtesy, although the Hero's Shade's glowing red eye still gave off the same feel of the golden wolf. His fingers itched to at least curl themselves around the Master Sword's hilt._

_"At last...the time is now." The Hero's Shade's voice was hard to describe as always, and Link had been trying to find a word that could describe the ancient warrior's voice for so long now, but to no avail. "This is the seventh and final hidden skill that I can pass on to you. This forgotten skill is the ultimate secret technique, and it tests the true courage of the one who wields it."_

_Link was only half-listening, suddenly very entertained with his attempt to find a fitting word._

_"Do you wish to master this final hidden skill, which can be earned only by the one true hero?"_

_His thoughts were derailed, to his slight disappointment and irritation. But... Good question, Link thought to himself. Do I? "Earned only by the one true hero" did sound...intimidating. Did he want to be any more of a Hero than he already was? Did he have a choice? The answer to both of those questions were, of course, no. So Link nodded, knowing that now, the Hero's Shade would agree to teach him and test him on the previous skill, the jump strike._

_And that's when everything went awry._

_"I asked," the Hero's Shade repeated, his usually emotionless voice taking a warning edge, "do you wish to master this final hidden skill?"_

_Link's eyes narrowed slightly, and he nodded again, a little more forcefully._

_The Hero's Shade's lone red eye bored into Link's, and Link shivered. "In short, that is nothing less than a lie," the Hero's Shade stated bluntly. "You do not wish to learn this skill. And I know why." His tone was a little more straightforward now, and there was a flat directness to his words that hadn't been there before. All this time, the Hero's Shade had been mysterious and wordy in his sentences...so what made him change?_

_The atmosphere was no longer the emotionless teacher teaching his student: the atmosphere was tense, and as the Hero's Shade shook his head to himself Link couldn't help but turn his own gaze into a glare. Even with this intimidating aura the Hero's Shade imposed upon Link, he dared to speak for the first time to the Hero's Shade, and whispered, "Why?"_

_"We both know," was the only reply._

_"How?"_

_There was a pause, as the labored breathing of the Hero's Shade continued in the silence. "...If you're going to lie, don't get caught."_

_"...Clarification?" Link struggled to remain polite._

_"You will understand in time."_

_Mentally sighing with exasperation, Link asked, "Will you still pass on the last hidden skill?"_

_"Draw your sword and come at me!" the Hero's Shade commanded, getting into a stance. Link drew his sword once more, and again noticed that weird shuffling that the Hero's Shade did with his feet. It was a distinct way to stay on edge, readying oneself for any attack, while Link preferred to subtly bounce up and down or not do anything at all. Link and the Hero's Shade circled each other, but before Link could make a move, the Hero's Shade dropped his guard completely and shook his head._

_"No. I will not teach the last hidden skill. Not now."_

_"I...see." Not only did Link not know what in Hyrule had just happened, Link didn't know what to do next. They had been going by a set routine this entire time: howl at the stone, meet the golden wolf, come to this ghostly realm, learn the skill, wake up in the real world, and continue on with the quest. That had always been the rules. But now, the Hero's Shade was refusing to teach him, breaking the tacit laws that had been set down and throwing everything off in the process. The world in front of Link's eyes began to blur, and he began to lose consciousness once more as he left the realm._

_"The seventh and final hidden skill shall be passed on when I see fit. When that time comes, I shall find you."_

* * *

"This guy's brain is working like mad," Senza commented, peeling back Reoh's eyelids and examining the eyes. "All this eye movement..."

"Is that good?" Tetra asked, arms crossed as she slammed the door shut with her foot. Emit was finally out of her hair, Link had been excused to take another stab at the test, and now she could go back to Reoh. Actually, Emit's answer hadn't mattered in the slightest, nor had Emit's inability to pay with rupees, either, because Tetra still would not have abandoned the two despite the fact that they had stowed away without permission on her ship. But Emit didn't know that, and believed her to be perfectly capable of dumping them out in the middle of the ocean without blinking an eye.

"Well, Miss, this sleep thing isn't exactly my field, seeing as I didn't really study much about sleeping and dreaming," Senza admitted. Tetra recalled that in medical school, he had taken a course designed specifically for sailors. "I remember something about if the eyes are moving like that, it means that he's dreaming...or something along those lines. I gave up listening to the lecturer after a while."

Nudge set a hand on Reoh's sweaty forehead, but pulled it back immediately. "Uh...Senza..."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Senza sighed, scratching his beard.

"What?" Tetra demanded.

Senza stared hard at Reoh's face, saying, "His temperature is through the roof."

Tetra plopped down on Emit's chair, watching Reoh's face. The way Reoh's face was always pained made sleeping look uncomfortable, and as if to make Tetra feel even worse, Reoh turned over in his sleep with a moan. "...Idna..." she heard, and raised an eyebrow. What the hell was an Idna?

* * *

"That was scary. No, seriously, Miss was as scary as hell back there. She probably gave off the evil impression to Emit..."

"Yeah... But who wouldn't get mad if they saw that somebody was dying and they could have prevented it by thoroughly checking their own ship?"

"But Miss is never that mean. She's just always...stern, y'know? But she's never like that. None of us know her like you, but I think we all know that she's not really that way..."

"Heh, don't let her hear that one! She'll whip you for sure! She hates being a girl... Pity; she'll definitely never get a husband that way."

"You sound like you're her mother, Nudge."

"So I do."

"But seriously, enough about Miss. The main problem here is Reoh..."

* * *

"Alright, Senza, let's hear it," Tetra groaned, turning towards Senza and Nudge, who were conversing in hushed tones on the far side of the room. "Hey! I'm talking!"

"Apologies, Miss," Nudge said hastily, and the two came back to the bedside. "What were you saying?"

"Spit it out, Senza."

Senza's face didn't move from it's normal light expression. "Excuse me, Miss?"

"Mako taught the crew about percentages, right? That kind of math?"

"That he did," Senza affirmed, nodding his head.

Tetra's eyes darted back to Reoh, it's normal hard blue cracking and showing a bit of worry and sympathy. "What are his...odds?"

Senza didn't say anything for a while, then said finally, his voice tight, "For him to last through the night, I'd say...five to ten percent."

Tetra's breath caught in her throat. She had expected Senza's estimations to be low, yes, but not _that_ low. And unfortunately, Tetra knew that Senza didn't exaggerate anything. She cried, "I thought you said he had a chance! It's like you're saying he's as good as dead! Those kinds of numbers aren't even worth counting!"

"I lied," Senza said simply. "To save Emit." Tetra glared at him, but Senza had a point. From the way he had bargained for Reoh's life, it was obvious that Emit would not be a very happy person if he knew what kind of odds Reoh's chances of survival were.

"Well, really, I could boost that number up to around seventy-five percent with just one dose of a certain medicine..." Senza continued, and Tetra's heart leapt...until Tetra detected a slight tinge of bleak hopelessness in his voice. "But the illness has already progressed past my equipment. I've only stocked up on medicines for illnesses still in the early stages, because I would have taken care of anybody by then if I saw symptoms. Reoh and Emit were hiding away in the storage room, so I couldn't get the illness before it got this far. Therefore, I have nothing that could cure an illness that as progressed to this stage."

What Senza didn't mention was that Tetra was the one who had told him to prepare the medicine cabinet like that to save space. Of course, not that nobody didn't know that already, but Tetra was still appreciative to Senza and extremely pissed off at herself.

"I'd need this type of flower that grows on various islands, the nearest island that harbors such plants being Diamond Steppe Island, and still, that island is...unreachable from here," Senza informed, rather unnecessarily.

Tetra, who knew the Sea Chart by heart, whispered, "Three sectors south." Even with the wind heading directly south, as it had for the past two months and inconveniently against them in their quest north to the Forsaken Fortress, it would still take days to travel three whole sectors. Days they didn't have. According to Senza, Reoh had twelve hours, tops.

Nudge nodded mournfully. "So what do we do, Senza?"

"We pray for a miracle," said Senza, his voice still casual as it always was. That was the thing about Senza: the ship could be sinking, or the kitchen could be on fire, or the mast could have broken, or somebody could have fallen overboard, and Senza would never change from the mild-mannered demeanor he had. Sometimes, it ticked Tetra off, but now, it gave her hope that at least somebody could keep a cool head here. Tetra, no matter what exterior she might put out, was the furthest thing from cool-headed right now. She was panicking; somebody was dying on her ship and she couldn't do squat! Emit had sold his freedom so Reoh could have a chance, no matter how slim, and now she finds that there wasn't a chance to begin with.

"Right. Miracle," Tetra muttered to herself. Way back at age three, Tetra had believed a miracle would save her mother from her disease. Yet here she was, running the ship in her mother's stead, an orphan since that day. "I guess we're going to have to get somebody to watch Reoh, eh?"

"I can do it," Nudge volunteered. "This is your room, after all, and my job is to guard your room... Really, my job should be--"

"I know, I know, Nudge, but I'm not a child, so that's no longer necessary," Tetra snapped. "Just make sure this guy doesn't kick the bucket in his sleep until we can figure out what to do. ...But first, get Mako up to the crow's nest. I want to talk to him...and I guess Zuko, too."

Nudge nodded with a mix of humor and rejection, and both Senza and Nudge trooped back outside. "Oh, and one last thing," Tetra called after then, getting up from her chair as they stopped and turned back. "Don't tell anybody of this, okay? Especially not Emit. He looks like the type to worry about everything." Reminding Senza and Nudge not to open their mouths wasn't something Tetra really needed to do. Nudge, she knew, would never disclose any information if it involved herself, and Senza was not the person to gossip, but it was better safe than sorry.

"Don't worry, Miss!" Nudge replied brightly, attempting to cover up his sorrow at Reoh's fate. "We'll keep it a secret from everybody!" Tetra nodded with a sad smile, and then with one last glance back at Reoh, Tetra walked through the door with them, closing the door behind her. Already, all traces of sorrow were gone from her face, and a set determined scowl was already in place. There were things to take care of, and some half-assed girly look wouldn't get any of it done.

And as she closed the door, Tetra could have sworn she heard a choked sob coming from the room she had just left, but knew that it must have been her imagination, because there was nobody in there but Reoh.


	13. Curtain Rise

Disclaimer: I do not own Legend of Zelda.

Try review after you read this chapter. I know that there's people out there who don't review, even if I don't know who you are. Well, no, I do know who _most_ of you are, but not _all_ of you. So review, and tell me your opinion. Do your worst, sucka.

Thanks to Blaze ocean dragon for giving me _the_ idea! No, I wasn't lying when I said I had ideas forming. No, I didn't forget.

It just happens to be a part of the character's personality to swear a lot for no good reason. Just as a warning.

* * *

_"Hello," the skull kid said pleasantly, waving. Link waved back rather hesitantly, and Saria laughed._

_"He doesn't bite, Link! He's a nice skull kid!"_

_Link nodded awkwardly, and found he didn't know what to say to the skull kid. So, he just said, "Um...I'm Link."_

_"That's nice name. I almost wish I could remember it." Saria had mentioned that skull kids tended to have short term memories because of the Lost Woods, so Link knew what the skull kid meant._

_"D-Do you have a name?" Link asked, still nervous about talking to an actual skull kid. Not that he wasn't nervous about meeting anybody new._

_"Nope. No name. Call me Skull Kid, if you want."_

_"Okay... Skull Kid, Skull Kid," Link mumbled to himself, trying it out._

_Skull Kid giggled an eerie, yet cheerful, laugh. "Do you like the Lost Woods?"_

_"It's, uh, very nice..."_

_"It is," Skull Kid agreed. "It helps you forget things."_

_Why Link asked, he didn't know, but suddenly his mouth took a bold turn and he blurted out, "What kinds of things?"_

_Skull Kid shrugged, and danced a little on the spot. "All kinds of things. Good things, bad things. The world outside the woods. I'll forget you too. I only remember Saria and the song that she plays, the song of the Lost Woods."_

_Saria laughed. "It is a pretty song, isn't it?" Skull Kid began to play a few notes of the song on his flute in response, and Saria clapped her hands together in delight. "It just touches your heart, doesn't it, Link?"_

_"The song, or the woods?"_

_"Both! The Lost Woods are the song, and the song is the Lost Woods!" Saria exclaimed, and Skull Kid bobbed his head, agreeing with Saria's words._

_"Yes. The song is so pretty, reaching for you." Skull Kid's glowing eyes stared at Link. "It...calls you."_

* * *

"Two swabbies," Niko muttered, rubbing his chin comically. "I've got two swabbies..."

Link could almost see it going right to Niko's head, and refrained from laughing. He glanced next to him, and all of a sudden, he didn't feel like laughing anymore. Emit didn't look happy at all, but then again, what could Link expect? Emit's friend was dying, and Link felt sorry for the two, even though he didn't know the pair personally, like he did the islanders and the pirates. Niko chuckled, "Well, swabbies, I'll give you both a chance at the test. See what you've got. Hey, Emit, how old are you?"

"Eighteen." The voice was dead-pan and almost threatening.

"Oh? You're the third youngest crew member!" Niko pointed at Link. "He's youngest, I'm second. Everybody else, except Miss Tetra, are all in their twenties...although there's Mako. He's nineteen, turning twenty...eventually. Not sure when."

"Okay," Emit replied, none too enthusiastically.

Niko began to explain how the challenge went, and Link began to zone out while Emit listened without much interest. Link wasn't really thinking of anything, just forgetting about everything, clearing any troubling facts from his mind. There was a dying man on the ship, his sister was in some hell-hole, and his hands had been reduced to shreds by the ropes and the rashes they gave you when your hands slid on them, but at least in this weird zone his mind had gone into, mainly from boredom, Link could forget all that. "You get it, swabbie?" Niko finished, and Link returned to the real world somewhat reluctantly.

"Yes," Emit answered tersely.

"Link, you can go first, show Emit how it's done," Niko suggested, completely oblivious to Emit's mood that bordered on anger, and hopped down to the lower level. He grabbed a nearby ladder and propped it up by the goal, the doorway that Link had been trying to get to for the past three weeks, then scurried up it and beckoned from the goal doorway. "Let's see if you can get to platform five this time!"

Link stomped on the switch, gritted his teeth, and jumped for the first platform. That was pretty easy now, and he no longer felt a lurch in his stomach as he jumped the space that always looked just a little too far to be reachable. He kept his inertia, sprinting the small platform and flew at the rope, ignoring the rashes and blisters that flared up and shrieked at him when his hands dragged along the rope. He used his weight to swing himself over to the other platform, performed perfectly after weeks of practicing. Platform two, down. He could see Emit watching with a critical eye, and decided that he would have to get to at least platform four to show Emit the proper way to do this test. Link could understand why Niko always wanted to show off in front of him, demonstrating unnecessarily how to do the test, as Link somehow felt compelled to do now.

Oh, but then again, the test itself was easy enough. Jump to rope, swing to platform, jump to rope, swing to platform, on and on. It was actually quite repepetitive. No, this was a test of determination, grit, and pain endurance. According to Niko, perseverance was the one trait that all pirates should have, and therefore this test was created.

Link had just grabbed the rope between platforms four and five when his grip refused to lock around the rope due to pain, and he yelled the ground rushed towards him. "Oww..." Link groaned, rubbing his butt when he stood. At least he wasn't wearing his sword and shield. That could have complicated the fall a bit.

"Nice try, Link! Right, swabbie," Niko called to Emit, "let's see you take a stab at it!"

Emit nodded, and pressed the left switch to make the platforms return to the ground, resetting the timer. Link bolted for the ladder, not wanting to miss Emit's first try, faintly registered the blisters protesting when he roughly grabbed the rungs to haul himself up. His hands had been like that for the past three weeks, so he was already used to it. Pressing the right switch to make the platforms go up again, Emit took a few strides that weren't even quick and leapt the gap to the first platform like it was nothing. Link's eyes widened at the sheer casualty that Emit regarded the test, how Emit didn't even seem to be putting all of his effort into the challenge yet.

Niko screeched something unintelligible when Emit didn't fall on the first rope. Emit was only using his right hand, too, which shocked Link even more. Of course, Emit was using his dominant hand. If Emit were using his left, which Link assumed to be the un-dominant hand, then that would really be amazing. Link couldn't help but gasp when Emit made it to the second platform on his first try. Link had gotten tangled in the ropes when he first tried to let go of it, so how Emit had actually swung himself to the next platform so easily was a mystery to Link. After that, both Niko and Link just stood there, wide-eyed and jaws slack, while Emit swung from platform to platform using only his right hand until he landed on the fifth one. And finally, not even out of breath, Emit planted his feet firmly in front of Niko, who looked like he was going to faint.

Examining his right hand with mild interest, Emit commented, "Well, that was actually amusing." Then he looked up and stared Niko in the eye, his expression serious. "Although if you pirates had a few ChuChu's on the platforms, then the whole obstacle course would be much more fun. Or maybe try greasing the ropes, so people fall off easier..."

Niko didn't say anything, just made a weird gurgling noise. Link regained his ability of speech much quicker than the pirate, and shouted across the room, "Mr. Emit, the thing about the test is that the ropes are supposed to hurt!"

"Oh? Hmm, okay. I see; I suppose that makes sense... Then maybe you could use fire traps, a few Anubis here and there, with a locked door that doesn't open until all the Anubis are dead...and perhaps a Stalfos guarding the door, too. But that might be a little too hard..." Link didn't have a clue as to what in the Great Sea Emit was talking about, and it was obvious Niko was having a similar reaction. Turning back to Niko, Emit told him, "And about that prize you promised whoever managed to get across, I don't need it. Give it to Link when he finishes the test." He jumped down from the goal ledge, landing lightly on his feet, and ambled back to Link's side of the room, still picking at something on his right hand.

"Mr. Emit?" Link started when Emit climbed up the ladder, "how..."

Emit watched him carefully, then waved his right hand. "Holding a shield practically every day of your life gives you some pretty decent calluses. Not as much as a sword, but still... And it doesn't help that half the time I forget to put my gloves on. And all the wrappings I put around the shield handle wear off far too quickly to bother at all." He was still picking at the calluses with mild curiosity, and Link saw that one of them had cracked and was slowly oozing blood. Emit noted, "It looks like the ropes actually do hurt. I guess I didn't realize."

"Oh... Wait!" All of what Emit had said sunk in. "You hold a shield in your right hand?"

"That's what I meant. Was I not clear?" Emit didn't sound mocking or sarcastic, just honestly asking if he hadn't clarified that.

"S-So you're left-handed?" Link's pitch had shot up an octave.

"Yes."

If Link weren't so surprised, he might have noticed that Emit was now the second person he knew besides himself who was left-handed. Emit did the entire thing without his dominant hand! Surely his kingdom, wherever it was, couldn't be smart at all to banish such a warrior! Unless, of course, the warriors at this kingdom were all better than Emit...which was a very frightening yet fascinating thought. Link opened his mouth, ready to fire a million questions, when: "NIKOOOO!"

"What?" Niko snapped, suddenly shaking himself out of his weird daze.

Nudge stumbled down the stairs. "I can't find Mako! Miss Tetra wants him, and I can't find him!"

Niko rolled his eyes. "He's probably just holing himself up somewhere, researching his latest obsession. Hey, Nudge! Guess what?"

"What?" Nudge said absently, lifting nearby barrels, apparently checking for Mako. Link didn't think that Mako would be hiding there, but Link wasn't going to say anything anyway. Nudge would be Nudge.

"Emit here, _my_ swabbie, passed the test! On his first try!" Niko declared proudly, crossing his arms.

"That's nice, Nik--_WHAT?_" Nudge shrieked, dropping the barrel he was holding.

"Yep!" Niko said, nodding his head solemnly and grinning wide. "That's my swabbie! I taught him everything he knows!"

Nudge stared, his hands still frozen in the position to hold the barrel between then, but there wasn't anything there. Abruptly, he sprung back to life and clapped Emit on the back, who grunted at the impact and narrowly avoided keeling over. Nudge was even stronger than Gonzo, so Link could understand. "Glad to have you on board, Emit! Boy, Miss really knew what she was doing when she recruited you! Right, Niko?"

"That's our Miss!" Niko agreed.

Link just cast a skeptical look at the two, thinking that it had been more of a blackmail scam to torture Emit into an emotional trap and amuse Tetra than anything else.

"Well, I have to go find Mako so I can go back to watching Reoh. We're not supposed to leave sick people unattended and such, according to Senza. Oh my, when I tell Miss what happened, will she be surprised!" Nudge sang happily to himself, skipping back up the stairs. Link saw him pause at Tetra's closed bedroom door, but hurry off anyway.

Emit rolled his shoulders, shaking himself out and muttering, "I swear, he's practically a Goron with all that strength... Last time I felt a backslap that strong was when I got floored by Darunia..."

"What's a Goron?" Link asked, his curiosity perking up again. "What's a Darunia?"

Staring blankly, Emit fumbled for words. "Y...You don't know what a...Goron is?" Link shook his head vigorously, and Niko shrugged. Emit muttered, "Did they all die out? I saved them from extinction from nothing? From getting eaten so they could disappear?" In a louder voice, Emit asked, "Okay, do you know what a Zora is?" Another shake and shrug from their respective persons. "Oh geez... Then what about--never mind, I don't think you'd know Kokiri, either..."

"You want to tell us?" Link chirped, bouncing up and down, totally forgetting about the test in his excitement.

Niko nodded with enthusiasm. "Yeah, it looks like you've got some interesting stuff from where you come from!"

Sighing, Emit scratched his blonde hair, eyeing the two with doubt. Link knew both Niko and himself probably looked like Joel and Zill, begging for a story, but he didn't care. He wanted to know what a "Garon" and a "Zera" was. "...No, it's not important," Emit said finally.

"Please?" Link asked again, letting his bottom lip tremble a bit and his eyes widen. Thanks to Aryll's careful coaching, he could still pull off the puppy-dog eyes. Nobody, in his experience, could last long against that look.

But Emit shook his head firmly. "No."

"Don't you think it might be important for me to learn about Gorens and Zorangs and Kokothingies?" Link begged.

Emit repeated in disbelief, "Zorangs? _Kokothingies_? ...Do you have any idea what you're wearing?"

Link looked down at himself. The tunic Grandma had made with such care for him was dirty and torn, even though he had washed it just four days back and got it repaired by Nudge around a week ago. "Yeah. I'm wearing the tunic from the legendary Hero of Time!"

"Not...really... It's actually a traditional tunic worn by the Ko--" Emit cut himself off. "Never mind. It's just the tunic from the...uh...'_legendary_'...Hero of Time..." Emit's voice trailed off, and his voice sounded as if he found something highly...what was the word? Funny? Ironic? Awkward? Embarrassing? Link didn't really know how to describe it.

"Tell us about Zorgons!" Niko whined, preventing Link from pondering the words any more.

"No." And Emit pivoted sharply on one heel, walked to a corner, and sat down. "Why don't you take the test again, Link, and stop wasting your time. Time is a very precious thing. Especially when you're as young as you are."

Link and Niko stuck out their tongues in unision. "We're not the only one who can be stubborn! Now, tell us about Gerzongs!"

* * *

_"Hey, Saria..."_

_"Yeah?"_

_"What's 'home'?"_

_"You can't possibly tell me you don't know what 'home' means!"_

_"Well... I know what it means, but sometimes I'm not sure what it _really_ means... You know what I mean?"_

_"Yeah... Hmm... Try taking this to the Great Deku Tree, because he's good with psy-koh-logic-hal stuff..."_

_"But I'm asking you."_

_"Oh, then I'd say it's a noun that you feel that you belong with or at, and other people want you there, no, _need_ you there, and you're loved there. It's...where you have a family, too."_

_"Huh... Wait, what? A noun?"_

_"Person, place, thing, or idea."_

_"I can be 'home' with an idea? With a person?"_

_"'Course."_

_Link didn't really understand that either. Recently, it seemed that Saria only talked in riddles._

_"Then...how do you know if you're home?"_

_"I'd say...it all depends on you."_

_"...You're not making any sense, you know?"_

_"Hehe, I guess I'm not, eh?"_

_"...Hey, Saria..."_

_"Yeah?"_

_"What if you don't like the pla--"_

_"Noun!"_

_"What if you don't like the noun?"_

_"Then it's not your home! You have to like it, too, doncha think?"_

_"I see... What's family, then?"_

_"..."_

_"Er, it's okay if you don't know."_

_"No, I'm just trying to find a different answer."_

_"Y'serious?"_

_"Yeah! Heehee!"_

_"The same thing, then?"_

_"Yep! It all depends on you!"_

_With a sigh, Link gave up. He knew that Saria was the most knowledgeable person in the forest besides the Great Deku Tree, but if he couldn't make head or tail out of what she said, then no matter how smart she might be, it didn't really matter._

* * *

Midna stared with sightless eyes at the floor. He couldn't die, he couldn't die, he couldn't die, no, no, nonono--

Beside her, Link began to cough, and Midna jumped. "Where's Nudge? How long does it take to find a four-eyed shrimp?" she muttered angrily as Link heaved to a halt. "He's supposed to come back and watch Link after he found Mako!"

"He won't find Mako. Not until I let him."

Midna froze, then whipped her head around towards the source of the sound...but there was nobody there. "Who's there!" Her voice wavered slightly against her will as she spoke. Link's hand clenched itself on the bed, and Midna bit her lip before squeezing it to comfort herself more than anybody else. Then she stood on the edge of the bed, ready to protect Link against this mysterious voice.

"Show yourself, or I'll make you!" she threatened, focusing and forming a small little ball of red lighting between her hands. It was the same attack that she had freed Link with way back in the sewer cell, and one of the few magical abilities she had kept with her in her imp form.

So far, she could only float, hide in people's shadows, dissolve into a murky, bubblish form, morph her hair into a hand, do this lightning thing, and transform briefly for no longer than an hour. And even the transformation was a weak illusion magic that would undo itself as soon as the caster comes into contact with anybody, or if the hour was up. Then there were a few weak, unimportant charms that didn't really have any use to her. She supposed that with all the pieces of the Fused Shadows in her possession, she would be able to do much more, but after the episode with Zant, she was scared to try it again. So her one red eye darted back and forth, trying to pinpoint the voice, and her mind scrambled frantically to find a way to protect Link and herself if the voice proved hostile. The only way, she reckoned, would be to use the Fused Shadows, because the lightning wasn't incredibly powerful... Midna would use it if protecting Link was involved, she knew.

"...Stop hiding!" Midna commanded, already tired of this hide-and-seek game after a few seconds silence.

"I have no wish to hide, Midna dearie."

Spinning around again, she saw a girl leaned up against the closed door of Tetra's room. Why hadn't she seen her before? An unconscious Mako was slumped beside her, sitting in a corner with his glasses lopsided on his nose. That would explain Nudge's delay and the words earlier.

The girl had cold blue eyes and short black hair, wearing a loose white collared shirt that Midna recognized to be worn by men, baggy black pants, and a wide smirk. There was a brown leather shoulder bag with a long strap that was worn across her chest, and a straw hat with an unreasonably wide brim was planted firmly on the girl's inky hair. The brim had a long, thin silver chain connected to one side, and a black pendant that Midna couldn't make out the shape of dangled from it. Midna growled like a feral cat, putting a little more energy into the lightning, making it crackle ominously. How had she gotten in here? Midna could have sworn that this girl hadn't been there a second ago.

The girl laughed, a wild cackle that teetered on the edge of insanity, a toothy grin spreading wide. Then abruptly her expression turned sweet and childish, and the laughter cut itself off unnervingly quick. "My, my, is that any way to treat me?" the girl asked innocently.

"Who are you?" Midna demanded, rising a little into the air and glaring at the newcomer. From the looks of this person, she didn't look too friendly...and if she wanted to hurt Link, she would have to get through Midna first. Midna knew that she shouldn't be assuming that the girl had malevolent intentions, but Midna wasn't in the mood for games.

"Somebody who can save your little Reoh...or should I say, Link?" This girl knew both Midna and Link's names, real and fake, making her even more suspicious. Midna eyed her, still not lowering her guard. The girl clapped her hands together in delight, and Midna saw a large notebook tucked under her arm...but it wasn't like any notebook that Midna had ever seen. For a spine, it had a coil of metal the bound the pages together where the spine should be. Midna decided it must be something that this strange sea with islands had developed. The girl pointed with delight at Midna. "You should have seen your face! It's so adorable, the way you perked up immediately! Kinda like a cat, but kinda like a puppy, at the same time... Do you get what I mean?"

No, Midna had no idea what the _hell_ this crazy girl was talking about, but she was a little more focused on the girl's other statement. "...Save Link? How?"

"Wait!" the girl cried, holding up her hands. "Stop! I have to savor this moment!" The girl closed her eyes, breathing in deep, then opening them with a flourish of the hands and stared with fascination at Midna. "Holy shit, I'm talking to _Midna_... And there's _Link_, lying right there on the fucking _bed_... Ha! It's like a dream come true!" She giggled, completely beside herself with joy until she frowned, musing to herself, "Well, he's half-dead, so I suppose I'll really have met him when he's not."

"What do you mean, 'save Link'!" Midna demanded forcefully, letting the lighting hum dangerously within her arms. She, no, Link did not have time for such inane senselessness.

"I have my ways," came the vague reply, and another insane laugh. "But that's not the issue. Things are much more fun when people are faced with horrible lose-lose situations, so I think I'll make one now! I'll demand payment for getting that flower...thingy...that Link needs!" The wide grin was back, and the girl stalked to the space in front of the bed, evidently thinking. Her gait was one designed for theatrics: flashy, showy, flamboyant, and ultimately dramatic. "Hmmm... I'm slightly at loss for a suitable mental torture scheme, otherwise known as demands for saving Link, so I'll ask you. What would you do or sacrifice to save Link's life?"

Midna didn't know what to say. The honest answer would be an immediate "Anything," but if she said that, she knew that this girl would take advantage of it. Therefore, she should say something like, "Not a lot." But then again, this girl seemed to know Midna already, even if Midna didn't, so Midna had a feeling that this girl would know if she was lying. Hell, she had a feeling this girl already knew the honest answer. So she remained silent.

Not wanting to wait for Midna's answer that the girl probably knew would never come, the girl leaned back, tapping her chin. "Ehh... Erm... Weeeeeell..." Midna's eyebrows shot up at these odd noises the girl kept making, and waited with increasing impatience for this girl to hurry up and make up her mind. There were a million insults Midna wanted to let fly, and the lightning just begged to be released, but from what Midna could see, this mystery girl was hope.

"Normally, I'd ask for something extremely embarrassing, like 'go walk around naked,' but seeing as you're already naked..." the girl mused with a smile, and Midna snorted. Finally, the girl snapped her fingers. "Ooh! I know! I got it!" The girl laughed, taking her straw hat off and twirling it around on her hand, completely forgetting about Midna in her excitement. Midna just growled again to get the girls attention again. "Oh, right, right."

"Hurry up and tell me what you want," Midna snarled through clenched teeth. Because this girl seemed to know things that Midna didn't and was refusing to share this information, Midna had already classified this girl as even more annoying than that fairy, and was only holding her tongue from lashing out with filthy insults because this girl claimed she could help Link. And Midna, being at her wits end, was willing to take anybody's help right now.

"Geez, are all princesses this bossy in person? First Tetra, now you... If they are, I don't think I want to meet Zelda." Why was Midna not surprised that this girl knew about her role as Twilight Princess and Tetra's possible heritage? Probably because she had already revealed to know so much. "And if all royalty are like this, that would that Komali's not exactly as sweet as he seems. Ooh..." The girl's voice was cracked with the effort of holding in the laughter as she said, "But enough about that. Before I make up my mind about what I want, I want to know something."

"What now?" Midna groaned.

The cat-like grin stretched even further, and she leaned forward to whisper in Midna's pointed ears. When Midna heard, her eyes widened in confusion and surprise. "W-What the?" Midna stuttered, at loss for words.

"Well?" the girl asked, and it seemed that the girl really didn't know the answer this time..although, with this girl, Midna didn't really trust anything.

"...No... Why would I...?"

"And why not?" the girl prompted.

"Because... Because..."

"Let me remind you of your...situation," the girl offered, and whispered some more. Then she set back, crouched like a cat on the floor, her luminous blue eyes boring into Midna's red ones. "Now. Why not?"

"I-I...don't want to. I don't have to if I don't want to. And I don't...I no longer want to." As she said it, she couldn't help but know that the girl had a point...

"Well, then!" the girl chuckled, her blue eyes bright with anticipation and mirth, "I think we've got our deal, yeah?" She put a hand over her mouth, looking slightly sheepish. "Whoops! That's Ashei's word, that 'yeah' thing? I shouldn't steal it."

"Wait...what?" Midna asked, confused.

"You heard me. Ashei's the one who's always like 'yeah' this, 'yeah' tha--"

"No, I meant...the demand." Midna remembered having a similar conversation with a certain fairy a while ago, and rolled her eyes. "State it clearly for me, so I understand exactly what in twilight you're talking about."

"Oh...I see, I see. You didn't understand. I'll state my price clearly, then." A grave expression on her face, the girl leaned forward again and whispered again, her hot breath tickling Midna's ear.

Midna's visible eye widened so far that for a moment, Midna was slightly afraid her eye would pop out. "N-No, I can't--"

"You can. It's your right."

Midna knew she sounded like a brat as she protested, "But I don't _want_ to, I mean; I knew I should after everything was done, and I planned to, but I've changed my mind! There's Link--"

"Don't let yourself," the girl said, with a severe, stern tone, "get in the way of your duty."

After a quivering moment, Midna's shoulders slumped in defeat. "Damn straight," the girl said. It was amazing, Midna thought, how the girl that had been mocking and laughing just a minute ago could be so harsh, cold, calculating, and dead serious. "Even if this problem wasn't present, you'd still have to do what I say anyway, because I hold Link's life in my hands. ...And since you see the logic in my argument, I'll say that you'll have to do something about both of those bitches, don't you think?"

"Both?"

"There's two now, right? Because of the split timelines?"

As much as Midna hated it and this girl, she was totally and completely right. The girl stared passively at Midna, her eyes uncaring to the emotional torment she had created within Midna.

"Do you accept my conditions?"

Midna knew that she had no choice, and that the girl knew it too. Not only was the girl correct, and that doing what the girl said would actually benefit all, but this girl was Midna's last hope for Link's survival. "I... Yes. I accept."

"Good!" the girl exclaimed, a cheerful smile back on her face. There was not trace of insanity in this smile and it was only pure innocence this time, but that just seemed to make things creepier. Her tone teasing, she giggled, "Well, I'll be off now, getting wonder plant for Linky-poo. I swiped a picture of the flower from Senza earlier today, so I'm pretty damn sure I'll be able to find it." Now the girl seemed to be talking more to herself than anybody else. "And transportation isn't a problem, because apparently, now I've got all this fantastic hocus-pocus magical shit...or should I say magical doohickey? Doohickey's a funnier word..."

"Wait!" Midna cried as the girl strode towards the door. "Who...who are you!"

The girl stopped in front of the door, her back still turned towards Midna. Slowly, she took out her notebook and flipped through the pages, finally pausing at one. She ripped it out carefully, then reached into the leather bag and pulled out a small, plain knife. Midna tensed immediately, but the girl merely placed the paper on the door and stabbed the blade into the upper edge of the sheet, pinning it to the wood. But before Midna could see what was on the paper, the girl flung the door wide open, obscuring the paper from view. There was nobody behind the door, as all the pirates (except for Mako, who was still unconcious inside the bedroom) were out on deck, and she stood framed in the doorway, flashing that creepy grin again.

"Sati. Sati, actress, storyteller, artist, liar, and..." she paused, her smile taking a much more subtle turn, diminishing to a triumphant, wicked curl of the lips, then she finished, "...the Black Butterfly." She held her hands open, then bowed low, sweeping her straw hat off with one hand while whispering, "Act one...Curtain Fall..."

Then she swept through the doorway and door slammed shut, and Midna darted for the door, wrenching it back open. There was nobody out there, although it had only been a second since the door had closed and blocked Sati from sight.

As the door swung closed again, Midna saw a hand-drawn black-and-white sketch of Midna herself, leaning casually against Link's shoulder, who was smiling slightly back at her with the Master Sword drawn in front of him.

And in the corner of the picture, there was a small black butterfly.

* * *

Sati won't be stealing anybody's spotlight. I've got a little grudge against OC's, personally. And as a note, Sati is not an avatar for myself. In case you're getting that message.

NOW REVIEW! CLICK THE BUTTON!


	14. Smiles and Failures

Disclaimer: I do not own Legend of Zelda.

Okay, I know I said it before at the end of the last chapter, but I'll say it again because I really...really...reallyreallyreallyreallyreally hate self-serts (and for that matter, Mary Sue's, now that a reviewer and the beloved Wikipedia has enlightened me). I just really have to make sure.

Shall I explain exactly who Sati is (as a character)? She's been around a long time, actually, being first formed approximately...nine months ago. The Black Butterfly was transferred to character form approximately three months ago, under the name Lyra. She was designed as dramatic _after a friend of mine_. Not me. After a while, Lyra's personality rubbed off on me. Yes, I know it sounds crazy for authors to get influenced by their OC's, but that's how it turned out. I changed her name to Sati for this story, because of some behind-the-scenes reasons.

And for the record, I said that dramatic was my favorite word because of Sati, hinting at her future appearance.

Many people just don't give a crap, so I'll reassure you that she will not appear EVERYWHERE like the annoying typical Mary Sue does. Okay?

Thank you.

* * *

"Mako!" Tetra scowled, hands on her hips as she glared at the short scholar. "Where were you? And Nudge! Why didn't you find him earlier!"

"'M sorry, Miss," they chorused together, shamefaced. Zuko completely ignored the conversation going on beside him and kept scanning the horizon with his telescope.

Nudge began, "Miss, I didn't think to look--"

"I don't want to hear it," Tetra snapped, cutting him off. "Just hurry up and tell me what you meant, Mako."

Mako scratched his head, then shifted his glasses on his nose. "Er, Miss? About what?"

"The kingdom they're supposed to have come from!" Tetra said, impatiently tapping her foot. "You said you'd tell me about it later!"

"Ah yes," Mako said, apparently having jump-started his brain properly. "Well, Miss...let's just put it this way. Beyond the Great Sea there is only a few uninhabited islands and a lot of nothing. Usually ships that venture out of the Great Sea end up coming back without realizing it, somehow getting turned around in their journey. And in all my maps and books, I have found no reference to any great kingdom. Unless they live underwater or in some sort of city in the sky, it's not possible for such a kingdom to exist."

"Is that...so..." Tetra mused thoughtfully, setting a finger on her nose in thought while twirling a strand of hair around another finger. "That makes even more questions... How did they find the boy in the first place? How did they get to the Great Sea without a boat? I mean, if they had one, they would have just tailed us instead of actually stowing away... And why the hell does Emit's pocket _glow_?"

"Miss, I think that we should leave this alone," Nudge suggested. Zuko put down his telescope, looked Tetra right in the face with his hooded eyes, and nodded mutely in agreement.

Tetra stared long and hard at the three pirates in front of her, then nodded in agreement. "...Alright. We leave them alone. Purely because Emit's our swabbie, okay? We won't ask any questions...and that means nobody will see Reoh's face other than Senza. Nobody will see Emit's face at all. The bandage around Reoh's left hand will not be removed, either. Is that clear?"

"Aye!" Mako responded.

"And even if they didn't come from a kingdom, for sure, they're warriors! At least, Emit is!" Nudge exclaimed, his face bright with excitement.

"Gonzo said there weren't any weapons on them--"

"No, no, Miss! Emit passed the test on his first try!"

Tetra just stared blankly at him. "...Eh? You're joking, right?" Nudge shook his head emphatically. "...Dear Nayru, that's... Well, damn."

* * *

_Wrestling with the mayor had been one thing. This was a totally different matter. He was supposed to wrestle a Goron he had just met and barely knew!_

_Link circled around the Gor Coron as fast as he could with the weights of the Iron Boots on his feet. Wrestling was a sport that required so much skin contact, which wasn't exactly what Link wanted. Especially with a Goron who wore nothing but some weird form of underwear._

_But he didn't have a choice. He needed into those mines to find the Fused Shadow that imp Midna was collecting like a freakish antique finder with a fancy for extremely dangerous, evil magical artifacts. He needed into those mines to find Ilia!_

_With a yell, Link ducked under the Goron's punch and and slammed himself into the Goron's middle, trying desperately to ignore the feel of the Goron's gritty skin against his face. He would have to get used to all this contact, he told himself sternly, as the Gor Coron shoved Link away and they were back to circling each other. Even the Ending Blow was a skill that required body contact._

_But he couldn't help but think to himself bitterly, It seems that when you're the Hero, everybody else gets to be selfish except for you. Everybody else gets their problems solved, but nobody asks the Hero how he feels._

_And then he mentally shouted at himself for complaining, just as Gor Coron hit the floor outside the arena. Eldin had just told him before he began his trek up Death Mountain that he was a reincarnation of some ancient Hero, which meant that he was born for this job. It wasn't his place to complain._

_This duty as Hero was his one and only purpose for his existence..._

* * *

Senza walked into the kitchens, sighing. He had just changed Reoh's clothes to relatively clean ones, that at least weren't sweated out. It was normal medical procedures for doctors...but how dare he call himself a doctor! There was a sick man in Tetra's room, and he couldn't do anything about it! Of course, his body and face still retained the image of calm and neutral as he opened the medicine cabinet, not really expecting to find anything... But perhaps he had missed something way in the back when he had been cleaning out the old supplies, maybe he still had just one bottle of the stuff--

And lo! there was a pretty little pot painted with gaudy, bright colors full of flowers sitting right smack in the front, a ribbon and a note tied around one fresh green stalk.

After a moment of blanking out, Senza finally reached out and ripped the note and the ribbon from the stem, then lifted the pot itself down off the shelf. Senza's eyes widened as he felt the smooth petals, connecting all the features. White petals, spiral middle, five petals, the aroma making Senza's eyes water when he smelled it for no reason he could comprehend. The smell reminded him vaguely of nuts; almonds, to be exact...

He had said to hope for a miracle, but he hadn't even believed his own words, to be honest... Was there even such a thing as miracles?

This morning, he had found an incredibly sick stranger, and not even two hours later, he was finding the vital ingredients for a the cure that he knew hadn't been there before. But still, even with all these confusing facts, Senza wasn't going to waste time. Senza couldn't remember moving so fast, ever. Dumping the flowers out with one hand, he groped for an open barrel of water and dragged it closer to him. Pouring the contents into a pot, he roared on the top of his lungs, "LINK!" Being a normally quiet guy with a mild-manner disposition, when Senza started bellowing orders like that, people tended to move faster than if Gonzo had just threatened them with his worst punishment. Link was in the room in a matter of seconds, breathing hard.

"Y-Yes?"

That started Senza off in a uncharacteristic tirade of things that Link needed to do, rattling off instructions that Link just blinked his way through. "Uhh...Senza?"

"Yeah?"

"I didn't get any of that."

"Just start with using that," Senza pointed hurriedly to the bellows, "to get the fire hotter. Easy."

They both set to work, with a few words being exchanged time to time for Senza to explain what the goal here was ("create medicine that will accelerate Reoh's recovery," as Senza neatly fibbed) and give more orders. Senza was pretty sure Link had no idea why he was doing half the things he was, but it was all a part of the lengthy procedure that Senza had learned at medical school, and even though Senza thought that some things were unnecessary, he wasn't going to risk skipping a step. After a while, all activity ceased, and Senza wiped the back of his hand against his brow. "Phew..."

"What's going on?" Nudge asked curiously from the door, and Link jerked in surprise, nearly knocking over a stack of various dried fish. Senza just turned around and nodded to Nudge, having never noticed the man standing there before, but his surprise contained within.

"Nudge!" Link exclaimed, looking tired but happy to see Nudge. "Senza found flowers that he wants to turn into medicine! It's going to help Reoh get better super fast!"

"Oh, really?" Nudge and Senza made eye contact, and Senza shrugged, reminding them both that they had promised to keep the fact that Reoh had no chance of survival to themselves. Nudge seemed to understand that somehow, Senza had gotten his hands on the cure that was supposedly unavailable, and a wide smile lit up his face. "That's great!" Senza knew that Nudge would ask questions later, no doubt.

"Hey, Nudge, aren't you supposed to be guarding Miss Tetra's room?" Link pointed out.

Nudge chuckled, "I wanted to see what Senza was up to. And besides, I think you two should go out on deck."

"I'm going to give this stuff to Reoh, but Link can go. Why?" Senza asked.

"Let's just say that Gonzo caught wind of Emit's success at the test, and decided that he doesn't want anybody threatening his role as first-mate."

* * *

_"Well, now...I finally have it back." The salesman's grin still stretched his lips, and the longer Link stared at it, the more humorless and fake it seemed. But no matter how much it unnerved him, Link continued to eye him, not completely trusting the man. So he claimed that the evil had gone from Majora's Mask. Link had worn the Fierce Diety Mask himself, and knew that some evils simply did not go away. Hopefully, Ganondorf was not one of them, and Link would continue to hold faith in that belief no matter what his gut feeling told him. His gut feeling said that Majora's Mask was not truly destroyed, that Ganondorf's last curse on Link and Zelda's descendants was not to be taken lightly, and that this salesman was not what he appeared to be._

_"Since I am in the midst of my travels...I must bid you farewell." The Happy Mask Salesman calmly walked past Link and the Skull Kid, who hung his head, trembling. Link guessed it must have been from shame for taking Majora's Mask and causing such troubles. But only a few paces away, the salesman stopped, and turned around, his grin still in place. This time, instead of fake, it seemed to be mocking Link. "Shouldn't you be returning home as well?" Link lowered his own head subtly in response, confirming the salesman's question._

_The salesman said softly, "Whenever there is a meeting, a parting is sure to follow." Yes, that seemed the case with Link, especially. Part with the mother he never knew, part with the Kokiri, part with Hyrule and Zelda, part with Navi, part with Termina. At least if he left Termina, he could go back to Hyrule. Hypothetically, of course. The salesman's smile widened, and even though Link knew that the salesman's expression was perfectly harmless, something about it whispered malevolence, however sly and cunning it might be._

_"However, that parting need not last forever... Whether a parting be forever or merely for a short time... That is up to you."_

_Was that was Saria meant by "It all depends on you"? But if that was what she meant...didn't make any sense... Whether or not he came from the forest was not up to him. His family was not up to him. Where his home was was not up to him, either._

_Goddesses, could they just stop with the riddles already?_

* * *

"Again," Link commanded, setting his elbow once more on the barrel.

His entire arm hurt and he was sweating in the thick heat that beat down on the deck, but he wasn't going to give up. It was funny, how just one measly arm-wrestling competition was the greatest challenge he had had since he battled himself in the Water Temple and his fight against Ganondorf. Well, it was his right arm... And honestly, this was the best fun he'd had since...why couldn't he remember the last time he'd had fun? Was it really back in the Kokiri forest with Saria, seven years ago? But no, even then... He had never truly belonged there, so every memory was bittersweet.

Gonzo smirked, putting his own elbow back on the barrel and completely enfolding Link's hand in his, the size difference was so great. "Ready, set...GO!" Niko yelled, and Link gritted his teeth in an effort to keep his ground. Yet, his arm trembled violently against Gonzo's, and his arm began it's long, agonizingly slow crescent fall down to the barrel top. He strained harder, hearing Tetra laughing wickedly behind him, Mako shouting something he couldn't understand, and Niko cheering with his shrill voice. If he had even the Silver Gauntlets, this could be so much easier...but then it wouldn't be a challenge, now would it?

"I wanna see!" he heard a high voice cry, but didn't dare turn around, keeping his concentration on his arm and his strength. Kid-Link came into his peripheral vision, taking in the scene and joining in with Niko. They didn't really seem to have a particular side they were cheering for, just wanted an excuse to yell.

Link bit his lip until he thought it would bleed, then bit harder as he found his arm already near half-way down. Why was it he could defeat the King of Evil and save all of Hyrule (only temporarily, a voice laughed in his head, and Link rudely and very uncharacteristically told it to shut up), but he couldn't arm-wrestle one pirate with a weird tendency to cry? It took forever for his arm to travel down, and Link's strength was fading, but Gonzo's face was puckered up in concentration too. Link was giving him hel--a hard time, at least. With his hand just an inch from the barrel, Link doubled his efforts, closing his eyes as if that would help. He would _not_ give up.

Of course, his knuckles hit the barrel anyway, and Gonzo stood up abruptly with a celebration shout. Nudge laughed and patted Gonzo on the back, while Niko and Kid-Link were just jumping up and down, totally hyper. How they had such energy in this heat, Link didn't know, especially for Kid-Link who was wearing the long-sleeved double-layered tunic. Tetra smirked to herself, whispering something to Nudge, who laughed again. Link watched the pirates, and a smile almost formed on his lips, but it was forced back down. Smiles were not appropriate. There were too many things were going wrong lately: the whole Hyrule mess, Reoh-Link practically knocking on death's door, and Link himself being snared into a pirate crew that he wouldn't be getting out of anytime soon. And his _failure_...

Ah, but maybe, just maybe...he could forget about that? Just for a little while?

Link's blue eyes were tinged with slight mirth, although he still didn't let his lips move. Not that it would have mattered, anyway, because his hat covered that half of his face. He massaged his aching shoulder, then picked slightly at his stolen shirt to separate it from his sweaty skin.

"Again," Link commanded, setting his elbow once more on the barrel.

* * *

_"Are you okay, Brother?" the Goron asked, his cheerful face scrunching up in worry. Link just smiled, nodding, and turned back to surveying the golden barrier, face slipping back to it's usual unreadable state. That expression had been something he'd been perfecting for a while now..._

_Below him, people sat at tables, gossiping over empty cups. Their individual words were lost to the general hubbub that hummed ceaselessly, forcing people to talk in louder tones. Other townsfolk milled busily around the Central Square, which wasn't really a square, and more of a circle. They always had somewhere to go, something to do, like some sort of fever that had infected them all that compelled them to move endlessly. Luckily, they couldn't see the golden wall that surrounded the castle, because Link was sure that gossip would spread like wildfire and cause panic. Link didn't want to have to deal with frightened Hylians right now. Just watching them made his face tinge with a slight shadow, knowing that he would have to protect them, and there was so great a chance of failure..._

_He wasn't cut out for this. Why him? They deserved better than him._

_As he watched, a little boy spotted him. His baby face lit up, and he pointed excitedly at Link, tugging at his mother's hand. The mother, who was chatting animatedly with a nearby friend, shushed him before turning back to her conversation. The kid let go of his mothers hand and weaved through the crowd until he was directly below the balcony that Link stood on. Waving, the kid called in his high voice, "Mr. Green Swordsman! Hello!"_

_Link merely smiled again and waved back. Amazing, how he could make his smiles so genuine, but so fake at the same time._

_"Mr. Swordsman, are you going to get rid of the gold stuff?" the kid shouted, and nobody but Link and the Goron beside him heard the child because everybody simply ignored him. The kid looked around ten, eleven-ish. Interesting, how the youngest of people always seemed to notice the important stuff and get ignored. "Everybody's talking about how you saved the Zora's and traveled up Snowpeak!"_

_"You went up Snowpeak?" the Goron exlaimed in disbelief. "Ho, dat take real strength to stand against the cold and deep snow, Brother!" Link shrugged. He'd cheated on that part, seeing as he'd been a wolf almost the entire time, only reverting to Hylian form to talk to Yeto (and not get eaten)._

_"Are you going to help us? Mommy says there's something wrong with the castle, because the Princess has never refused to meet people before!" the kid continued. After a second, Link nodded again. The mother finally found the kid and hauled him away, scolding him about getting lost and talking to strangers. "Okay! Bye, Mr. Green Swordsman!"_

_Dear Farore, why did the kid have to say that? There were many things that Link hated about being the Hero. Being a reincarnation of somebody, it was almost as if that implied he was a brainless clone, alive purely for the purpose of fulfilling his past self's will. Being chosen by the goddesses, everything he did was a part of the grand scheme of those heartless goddesses, and no matter what he did, he would always wind up following their directions. With every word he said, every move he made, he could almost see the goddesses above, writing it down on some otherworldly paper, choosing his sentences for him and inscribing it in the book of fate. Being the Hero, everybody looked at him with respect, awe, and hope, believing so blindly that he would solve all their problems. What if he couldn't? What if he was too weak? So why did the kid have to say that, of all things? _"Are you going to help us?"_ Link would try, kid. He wouldn't like it, but he would try._

_Those three were his only problems with this duty in a nutshell, really. Combined, it went something like this: He hated being a mindless tool, created only for the purpose of following the predetermined path, without anybody ever asking if maybe he didn't enjoy his role as much as the Hero of Time did. If the Hero of Time liked it at all._

_He tried not to factor in the fourth element, because he didn't like to think that he had low self-esteem._

_He backed away from the railing, nodding a good-bye to the Goron and walking down the winding stairs to the ground floor. As soon as the Goron was out of earshot, a voice scoffed, "Wolf-boy, I have no idea why you picked that spot to take a break. That'd only make you depressed. Are all light-dwellers this dumb? Geez..."_

_Link shrugged again, opening the door to the Central Square. "The dumb light-dweller thought that Heroes shouldn't be afraid of the people they protect." _

_The voice didn't answer._

_Next stop: Telma's bar. Time to see where that next Mirror Shard was._

* * *

"Well."

Tetra eyed Senza, disbelief written all over her face. "Are you sure you're not catching whatever Reoh has? This sounds like a mad-man's story to me." Nudge nodded emphatically in agreement.

Senza shook his head, stirring the mixture with care, and Tetra nodded. According to what he'd just told her, he only had one chance with this mixture. If he messed up, there were no extra flowers to prepare more medicine with. "No, Miss, it's all just as I said."

Smoothing out her hair, Tetra glared pointlessly at a hanging wineskin, as if all this hullabaloo was its fault. It seemed everything was going out of her control, no matter what careful planning she did. This morning she had found stowaways in her ship, at noon she found out one was going to die, shortly afterwards she accidentally blackmailed Emit into her crew, not really expecting him to agree with her demands, and now, still only the afternoon, she finds that the cure magically pops up in the kitchen. She blew out a long breath, trying to think of how this could be possible.

"You sure you didn't leave anything out?"

"Dead sure, Mi--Oi..." Cutting himself off, Senza nearly stopped stirring, but kept going. He opened a cupboard with his other hand instead, not looking away from the pot, and fumbled around inside. He finally pulled out a small paper and tossed it to Tetra. "I nearly forgot. This was tied around the flowers. I didn't read it yet; I was in a hurry, after all."

Tetra snatched the paper and smoothed it out, ignoring Nudge breathing down her neck and reading over her shoulder. The message was:

_With love! From the Black Butterfly._

Tetra read the paper over and over, trying to find some sort of hidden code, but found nothing. She flipped it over, and found a little more writing:

_If you can actually read this note, I'm shocked. I was under the impression that my...kingdom and the inhabitants of the Great Sea spoke different languages. But then again, you can understand Emit and Reoh well enough, so I really shouldn't be too surprised._

_JOKES! I have a translating spell (which took four days to make, so appreciate it). Kidding._

She repeated the process: flipping word orders, mixing letters up, doing whatever she could to find some sort of underlying meaning, trying to see if certain words could be code words for something else, but still nothing. Finally, she simply folded it and stuck it in her vest besides the pocket that contained her throwing needles for future examination, then turned back to Senza. She demanded coldly, "Anything else you forgot?"

"No, Miss." Senza calmly dipped a bowl into the vat, apparently done. "I'll be taking this to Reoh now... If Emit wants to join us--"

"He can see Reoh again when Reoh wakes up from his nap. As in, opens his eyes, and is mostly in the clear of turning into fish-fodder at any second."

Senza nodded, then left the kitchen. Sighing, Tetra rubbed her temples, then eyed the wineskin from the corner of her eye. "...Oh, what the hell, Nudge isn't here anyway," she muttered, then swiped it from it's hook.

* * *

_An endless cycle that never ended, why wouldn't it? Would it ever end? Was it truly ceaseless? Dodge, roll, attack, backflip, attack, backflip, roll, dodge, attack, on and on and on..._

_Ganondorf's eyes were merciless and cold, yet lusting for power. He would never stop, never, unless Link put an end to it all. But how? The King of Evil's guard was perfect, rendering the blade of evil's bane in Link's hands useless. Unless Link somehow talked Ganondorf out of it, Ganondorf would destroy anything and everything in his path on his rampage towards power. But Ganondorf would never be reasoned with, because he did not think with reason. Granted with the Triforce of Power, truly all that newfound strength must have gone to the Gerudo's head. He wanted everything there was to get._

_If Ganondorf's guard was flawless, then so was Link's. It was a draw, with each attacking over and over in hopes to somehow throw the other off. That would never happen, though, Link knew--what?_

_Hole. _

_There was a hole in the guard._

_Link stabbed._

* * *

Reoh-Link would absolutely die in this place, Link knew that for sure. The cramped, dark, putrid laundry room would be Reoh-Link's nightmare, and not because of the smell. With not only such a claustrophobic space, it forced one to come near to others.

Kid-Link and Niko were sleeping peacefully in their own corners, while Link was crouched in his own. His blue eyes lingered on Niko's pointed ears, recalling how the entire pirate crew possessed the trademark Hylian ears, but it didn't do him much good. Hyrule was gone, and only traces of the Hylians remained. Meanwhile, Navi fluttered out his head, and Link could imagine that if he could see her face past the bright blue glow that obscured her body, she would be raising an eyebrow at the various colors of odd growth...things. Link assumed them to be either moss or fungus. Link was glad that Navi's light was too dim to illuminate the details on the heaps of old clothes, because after all, some things are better left unknown. Like himself, in more ways than he cared to count.

Link sighed, and ran his fingers through his hair, attempting to clear the bangs from his eyes. The dark and the silence was comforting, especially the silence. The silence is all he had when he had nothing... And the dark allowed thoughts to wander, unbound from outside pressures. That could either be a very good thing, or a very, very bad thing. Here, it was mostly a bad thing.

Right on cue, a nasal little voice whispered, _You absolutely failed, haven't you_? Well, Link told the voice/himself, specifics are a definite must when you say that. He was failing at a lot of things. Even the obstacle course, he should have been able to manage that in half the time that he did. But from what he had seen of the pirates in just one day...they weren't blood-thirsty. They weren't cutthroat. In fact, Link doubted that the term "pirates" actually fit them anymore. Even with Tetra, Link was fairly certain she wouldn't have the guts to maroon Link like that, especially with a dying companion. In fact, they just seemed like a big group of young men who had somehow gotten stuck together under the name "pirate." Kind of like...a family, is what they reminded Link of. Which would make Tetra something like the mother. When he put it that way, it was a scary thought that someone of only eleven years should have to shoulder that kind of responsibility, with so many people counting on her to get them through the darker times. Darker times... When those words came to mind, Ganondorf mocked Link in his mind's eye, taunting him. Because Link had failed, Ganondorf had come back all those decades later to threaten Hyrule once again.

A prime example of what failure would mean to a Hero, with everything depending on him. Link's failure had led to the fall of Hyrule...

Well, it didn't do any good to stay stuck in the past, reminiscing of his failures. Zelda always said that getting stuck in the past, filled with regret, could do some pretty horrible stuff to a person, and Link had learned that for himself in Termina as he wore the masks of the Deku Scrub, Darmani, and Mikau. He had to look forward, so he roughly tried to clear those thought from his mind...but they wouldn't leave. Ganondorf, Hyrule, the pirates, Hyrule, Ganondorf, they just wouldn't _leave_. As a last attempt to clear that from his mind, he distracted himself with his goals, something he could influence: getting himself and Reoh-Link back to Hyrule and respective times. Especially Reoh-Link, because he was necessary to finish Ganondorf once and for all in the future Hyrule, finishing what Link himself had failed to do. Now that he thought about it, Link was extremely grateful to this "Hero's Shade," who mentored Reoh-Link throughout his adventures. If the Hero's Shade hadn't been there to prepare Reoh-Link for his destiny, Link supposed that he would have panicked and found some way to teach Reoh-Link himself.

...But hadn't the Hero's Shade refused to teach Reoh-Link the Great Spin? Tapping into Reoh-Link's memories, Link remembered that his reincarnation only knew six of the seven hidden skills, since the Hero's Shade had started acting oddly at the latest meeting and denied Reoh-Link the knowledge. Funny, that the Hero's Shade knew those skills at all, because Link himself had been the one who created them. And so far, he had kept them as unknown knowledge, as he still hadn't found anybody fit to use those techniques. Maybe Link would eventually pass on those skills to somebody if--_when_ he returned to Hyrule, and that somebody would pass it on to his own students, and the cycle would repeat until Reoh-Link would eventually receive them from the Hero's Shade in the future. That somebody he would teach the skills to just hadn't been found yet.

But the Hero's Shade had said "our bloodline" before he taught the Mortal Draw...so in order for the Hero's Shade to speak truth, Link would have to teach it to his own child, who would continue to pass it down to Link's grandchildren and grandgrandchildren... But having kids at all, settling down, getting married, having an actual home... Now _that_ was an awkward concept. Oh, and not only that, that would mean that Reoh-Link was his descendant--

Link quickly derailed his own line of thought. Not only was it rather disturbing to him, he had to focus on the main problem and figure out a way to get out of this pirate crew. Perhaps he could misbehave so badly that Tetra decided she would abandon him, which, according to rule number eight, was the ultimate punishment for all pirates. But Link didn't exactly want to be in the crew in the first place, so it wouldn't have the intended emotional effect. If he could manage that, then all that would be left after he got out of this mess would be to find a way to get back to return himself and his reincarnation back to his own time. Link still had no idea how he would accomplish that, but it was a step in the right direction. He had to return to Hyrule, no matter what, because that was where he was needed as the Hero, however forgotten he may be. Hyrule needed him to stay safe, else evil may arise again.

"_But there is no need for Heroes in peacetime, Link._"

Link stared off into the darkness, the silence pressing on his ears, then closed his eyes and tried hard to think of nothing while chasing the ever-elusive sleep. That only resulted in more reminders of his failures, but at least that was better than those haunting words.

* * *

_Ganondorf roared in pain, clutching his stomach as he staggered backwards, dropping his own sword. Link stared at him with only contempt, his brave blue eyes clear and unclouded in sheer determination. Ganondorf was dead. Ganondorf was _dead_. It would all stop, Ganondorf would never threaten anybody, and Link had won._

_The bellows that Link had assumed were from pain didn't sound quite the same. Link's ears twitched as he listened, and identified traces of...laughter? What?_

_"As if such a weak sword would fell me, the King of Evil," Ganondorf seethed, grinning manically. "I am immortal! I will not die! I cannot die!"_

_"I will kill you! I have to stop you! I will not fail, even if I must defy the goddess of death herself!" Link whispered, closing his eyes against the horrid sight. "You can die; you're not invincible... No..."_

_"Yes! I am Ganondorf! Look! I am not dead, pathetic fool!"_

_"No... Not yet..."_

* * *

"This had better work, Senza."

Senza rolled his eyes, shocking himself and Nudge at the blatant display of expression. "It'll be fine. Just keep close watch on him, give him a cup or two every hour, and he'll be right as rain in a few days. I've heard of people recovering from this particular disease overnight, actually. It tends to start slow and subtle, hit hard and fast, and die just as quick with the right equipment. Although he'll probably sleep a lot more after."

Pacing nervously, Nudge eyed the tiny cup that Senza held. "That looks a little too small for a dose..."

"It'll be fine," Senza repeated. "It's pretty powerful stuff. Now, I've got to go scrap together whatever grub I can for tomorrow night." Yawning widely, Senza muttered, "I'd much rather sleep, especially after a crazy day like today, but no, 'course not..."

"Why?" Senza smirked, and Nudge, upon realizing what Senza meant, groaned. "Don't tell me Miss decided to... Swabbie initiation? And I can't go!" The last part was a weak, transparent joke. Everybody knew that swabbie initiations weren't ever what they seemed.

"You won't be missing anything," Senza told him.

" I should at least get to go to this one! We skipped Link's initiation, too!"

"Because he's going to leave eventually, and he doesn't need any testing. It's pretty obvious how he feels about being a pirate. But Emit's with us to stay, unless Miss abandons him, so we better figure him out quick and learn to live with him."

"Yeah, I guess..." Nudge looked a little downcast, until he abruptly giggled. "Make sure Emit's is real fine, okay?"

"Why?"

But Nudge merely seated himself on a nearby stool and dabbed Reoh's sweaty brow with a damp cloth, smiling goofily, reminding Senza of a mother. Well, he was Tetra's guardian, after all. When Nudge didn't respond, Senza shrugged, collected his sparse medical equipment, and was almost out Tetra's bedroom door before Nudge called after him, "From what I could see from Tetra's expression...sometimes, initiation isn't just to test."

Senza stopped, and replied without turning, "But that would mean... Do you really think she's that heartless?"

"Not heartless. Bored."

"But don't you know what the stakes are, what the players gamble? Don't you realize exactly what could happen, especially to Emit, if we play the game?"

"Would you really put it past our Miss?"

* * *

I didn't specify which Link it was because...well...I dunno. Didn't feel right to say if it was OoT Link or TP Link. It was a nightmare, though, so it didn't really matter anyway. Obviously a nightmare because that scenario's never happened and Ganondorf isn't supposed to start laughing after getting stabbed--oh wait, the Ganondorf fight in Windwaker...never mind. It was a nightmare, leave it at that.


	15. The Initiation's Invitation

Disclaimer: I do not own the Legend of Zelda, and I'm getting tired of doing this. Let's conclude that I do not own the Legend of Zelda and I probably (99.99999999inifinity% chance) never will, either. And I will stop doing these disclaimers.

I didn't thank people for reviewing! Agggghhhhh! I figured that out about five seconds after I uploaded the chapter, then got into a car and went off to camp for the weekend. Dumbass, dumbass, dumbass... Anyway, I need to get something out of my system.

THANK YOU ALL FOR REVIEWING! I LOVE YOU PEOPLE!

Okay, I'm all good. I'll explain why reviews are becoming such a big issue for me at the next chapter. Maybe.

Now, I've edited this chapter to my hearts content, but I still don't like it for some reason. Perhaps because I feel like I'm really stepping off the ledge. Oh, and there was a purpose for the italicized sections. It wasn't SariaxLink...although whether or not it was a childhood crush is up to you. So do you people get the point of the italicized sections _now_? Waitwaitwait, read the chapter, then answer that question.

* * *

The kitchens were narrow and cramped, but nonetheless warm, clean, and...homey, Link supposed. It was much more comfortable than the deck at night, anyway.

They were all eating in this weird back-room that connected to the kitchens, and the room served as a sort of dining room...yet there were no tables or chairs. All the pirates, including swabbies and the captain, believe it or not, sat side-by-side on the ground eating whatever Senza had prepared with battered utensils. And from the way they were talking and joking, there was no doubt that they weren't really cut-throat pirates who would easily abandon a dying man in a rowboat in the middle of the ocean. Meaning that he had just gotten tricked. Shoot. Oh, look, he was reminding himself over and over without realizing it..._failure failure failure_--

"Senza! Thirds!" Gonzo yelled, holding out his bowl. Link eyed his stew doubtfully, then settled for just eating the hard bread that came with it. It wasn't that he couldn't stomach the ominous-looking liquid, having eaten much worse things than this, but merely wasn't that hungry.

"No! You're going to make us all starve if you keep eating!" Tetra snapped.

Gonzo immediately grinned guiltily, but Senza came over anyway and took Gonzo's bowl, disappearing into the kitchens to reappear with another full dish. Senza reasoned, "It's initiation, right, Miss? It's a party."

"I guess..." Tetra grumbled, savagely ripping off a hunk of meat from her bent fork and gnashing her teeth to chew it, her mouth wide open. Link remembered that she was supposed to be a princess, then snorted into his stew. "Wphat?" Tetra demanded, spraying food everywhere. "Wphatchoo sfmirkin' at?"

"Miss, that's nasty!" Kid-Link complained, picking one of the larger chunks of meat off his cheek.

Tetra finally swallowed, then mocked, "Your _face_ is nastier!"

It was a childish taunt, but the pirates acted as if Tetra had just called Link some obscene insult. "Ooh..." Niko jeered. "She just insulted you, Link! Whatcha goin' do 'bout that?" Instead, it had the opposite reaction, and Kid-Link began to shake with silent laughs. "Hey! Do you have no manly pride?"

Kid-Link only laughed harder. "It was funny, though!" he giggled, and Tetra rolled her eyes.

Mako appeared by Link's elbow, and poked at Link's stew. "If you're not going to eat that, can I?" Link didn't respond, just flapped his hand. Mako sniffed it, then wrinkled his nose and shook his head, deciding he didn't want it after all.

The pirates all seemed to be having a great time, and Kid-Link was absolutely thriving in this party atmosphere, but Link just wanted to check on Reoh-Link. Unfortunately, Gonzo had said something about initiation, and neither he nor Tetra would let him leave. They wouldn't even tell him what initiation was. So he was stuck here, feeling extremely out of place with his unsmiling face and stiff from staying in the same position for the past thirty minutes.

"Alrighty, pirates," Tetra announced, standing up so she was higher than everybody else, who were all sitting on the floor, "this is the moment you've all been waiting for!" A loud cheer met her words, mainly from Niko and Gonzo. She pointed to the far side of the room. "Everybody over there except Emit!" So he was going to be excluded. Nothing new to Link, and he already felt like an outsider, being new to the crew and everything.

"Can I?" Kid-Link asked casually, and Tetra thought it over for a minute before gesturing for him to follow. He snickered as he all but did hand-springs to the other side in his glee, and Link began to worry. As if on cue, Mako cast him a sympathetic glance as he followed the rest of the pirates, only causing Link's worry to double. Navi shuddered slightly in his pocket, and Link shared her thoughts.

This could not be good.

* * *

"Miss, why are we doing this again?" Gonzo whined.

Tetra huffed, "Because I said so!" The crew eyed her dubiously, and she finally relented. "Well...swabbie initiation is to test the swabbie so that other pirates can figure out whether or not the swabbie really wants to be a pirate, right?"

"Right," the crew chorused, Link along with them.

"Wait..." Link said slowly, and all eyes turned towards him. "Why didn't I get initiation?"

"I haven't seen anybody happier to be a pirate since Niko," said Tetra flatly.

"Oh..."

"But Miss, you've never seen a swabbie who's just joined other than Link and Emit," Senza pointed out. "You've never actually conducted an initiation."

"True. I did inherit all you from my mother..." Tetra shook her head. "But that's not important. Back on topic. In short, tonight's initiation isn't quite like the others. We're not testing anybody, because it's aparent he doesn't want to be a pirate..." Tetra's eyes gleamed. "Of course, he could be acting, but I don't think he's that kind of person. I think he just plain doesn't like it...but you all saw the look on his face while he was arm-wrestling Gonzo..."

"Miss," Mako reasoned, "he's wearing a mask. None of us saw his face."

Tetra muttered something that sounded suspiciously like, "I'm surrounded by idiots..." Then she sighed, "Did anybody bother to look at the eyes?"

Link immediately raised his hand eagerly. "I did!" Link vividly recalled the look in his eyes, absolutely thrilled, burning bright with a delighted fire that Link hadn't thought that such cool blue eyes could possess.

Tetra nodded approvingly. "Right. You know what I'm talking about. Emit doesn't look like a cheerful fellow. He looks like the type of guy who's on guard, chooses his friends carefully, and opens up to barely anybody. Yet, his guard was lowered _a lot_ during that little arm-wrestling match, which means might not be unpersuadable. And this provides a pretty nice challenge for us." Tetra whispered with a triumphant grin, "A _game_, if you will."

Niko gasped comically, "Miss... You don't mean that...the swabbie initiation isn't a test, it's...that?" Niko and Link glanced at each other, and Link's eyes widened. _That_ thing that Niko had told him about? Niko had warned Link of the worse case scenario if neither side won...and it didn't sound pretty.

"Exactly," Tetra hissed, a wide grin on her lips. "We play that game that my mother created. He's in my crew, due to a little slip-up of mine, I'll admit that, but if he's in my crew then he's one of us. I'm his captain. I'm responsible for him. He's _our swabbie._" The crew nodded, and Gonzo began to kneel to whisper to Zuko, but Tetra snapped her fingers to get their attention. "Bet placing comes later. Now, who's got any ideas?"

* * *

They'd been huddled together, talking in hushed voices for the past five minutes. Link still hadn't moved from his seat on the ground, carefully watching them and straining his pointed ears to hear, but to no avail. Finally, Kid-Link was shoved out of the group with a hearty laugh on the other pirates' part, and he approached Link carefully.

"Er, Mr. Emit..."

"Call me Emit. Enough with the 'Mr.'"

"Okay!" Kid-Link chirped happily. "Um, Gonzo wants to know if... Uh..." Link just watched him until he spit it all out, and finally, Kid-Link finally muttered with an uneasy smile, "If you drink."

Link raised an eyebrow, and asked in an almost threatening tone, "...Drink what?" Although he was pretty sure he already knew the answer.

"Alchohol."

Link would have facepalmed right then and there, but he decided against it for no logical reason except for keeping composure. "No..."

"Have you ever drank alchohol?"

"No..."

"Do you want to drink alchohol?"

"No..."

"Oh, okay then!" Kid-Link giggled, then scurried back to the pirate crew. Tetra ushered him into the circle, and one again they were back at it. Link watched then carefully, and saw Mako reluctantly handing over a purple rupee to Gonzo, who pocketed it without a second thought.

"...I'm in big trouble, aren't I?" Link murmured, and Navi poked him in response. "Yeah, I thought so."

* * *

"Test him out, then, and see what his reaction is?"

"Aye."

"...Sounds like a plan."

* * *

Surprisingly, after a moment longer they all just dispersed, chatting animatedly to each other about unimportant things, and Senza began passing out mugs of dark liquid before seating himself by the pirates. Link was handed one too, but he put it down immediately, recognizing the drink as, guess what? Alchohol. The pirates ended up in a rough circle, Link included, although he was still a little more set off from the rest. "Uh...what just happened?" Link whispered to Kid-Link.

Kid-Link chuckled, then answered, "Apparently, you can become a real pirate if you--"

Niko said, "--do the dare--"

Gonzo added, "--that we assign--"

Mako said, "--and your particular dare--"

Kid-Link again: "--just so happened to be--"

Even Senza chimed in with, "--that during a party of ours--"

Tetra finished with a smirk, "--you have to drink alchohol. Don't ask why we picked alchohol, we just did."

Zuko actually muttered something at the end of the speil, but nobody understood, so they all ignored him. There was a long silence, where Link tried to understand what in Hyrule had just happened and the pirates practically stared him down. After he got over the initial shock of seeing numerous people talk as if they were a single entity, he was able to shake his head.

"...No. I don't drink, for one...and I need to get home."

_"Now, go home, Link. Regain your lost time!"_

The pirates just stared at him, frozen, while Tetra had a raised eyebrow and Kid-Link's cheerful face saddened. Link continued firmly, "I have to go back to my kingdom."

_"Home...where you are supposed to be...the way you are supposed to be."_

The only problem with that statement was that sometimes Link didn't know where he was supposed to be nor the way he was supposed to be. He supposed he should be home, at Hyrule...but "home" was such a vague term, now that he thought about it.

"Which is why you sacrificed yourself and landed yourself in my crew," Tetra drawled skeptically. "Yeah, you really seem like you've decided you're going back no matter what."

"Reoh was dying. And if I am important to my kingdom, then Reoh is...even more so."

_"You don't have to continue to be a hero."_

_"Of course I do, Zelda. I'm already fourteen. I can't go back to the Kokiri forest."_

_"But there is no need for heroes in peacetime, Link."_

"...I mean..." Link corrected himself with a harsh, short laugh, "Reoh is of utmost importance to our kingdom. I used to be. I'll admit I'm not important anymore. If I die, it won't _really_ matter." Sounded depressing when he said it out loud, but the truth sometimes hurt. Maybe Zelda would notice he was gone, or Malon would occasionally wonder why the fairy-boy hadn't shown up in so long, but that would be it.

Gonzo growled, "Of course you're important! You're our swabbie, yeah?"

Mako shifted his glasses, then shook his head. "You're trying to get home, eh?" Link nodded. "Hmm... I guess we can't stop him."

"Mako! Yes, we can!" Gonzo cried.

Zuko elbowed him, and Gonzo yelped. Mako continued, "Gonzo, imagine being away from home." Gonzo fell silent, oddly enough.

"Home?" Link asked, a faint tinge of puzzlement in his voice. "What home? You're all on a traveling ship that probably docks twice a year!"

Tetra shifted uncomfortably, and all the pirates excluding Kid-Link and Zuko began to chuckle. From his expression, Kid-Link apparently had a vague idea what was going on, but didn't understand clearly enough to laugh with them or didn't see fit to laugh at Link's expense. Zuko just didn't laugh at all for no apparent reason, although he smiled briefly. Nudge appeared in the doorway, looking confused. "What's going on? What am I missing?"

"Come on in," Senza chortled, waving for Nudge to come into the room. "How's Reoh doing?"

"He's looking better already, so I thought I might drop by for a quick second just to see what was happening..." Zuko hobbled out of the room, and Nudge called after him, "Are you going to take over for me?" Zuko nodded mutely. "Miss, is that alright? For him to be in your room?" Tetra shrugged, still looking nervous as she watched the pirates around her, all laughing at their private joke. Nudge's gaze swept over the laughing pirates, his bemused face asking for him.

Senza explained, "Emit just said that we have no home, because we're on a ship." Nudge snorted, then started giggling as well, adding to Link's confusion.

"Ah, swabbies, gotta love 'em," Niko chortled, wiping an imaginary tear from his eye, and a fresh wave of laughter broke out.

"True mark of a swabbie!" Mako snickered.

"Aye," Senza said simply, a smile on even his face.

"What? What's so funny?" Link demanded, irritation beginning to show. "Do you consider your ship your home or something?" At that, the laughter only doubled.

"No, our ship isn't our home," Mako sputtered through his chuckles.

"And it's funny because," Gonzo hooted, laughing the hardest next to Niko, both who were red in the face, and ended up unable to continue because of his laughter.

"Because," Nudge finished Gonzo's sentence, "we consider Miss to be our home."

_"I'd say it's a noun that you feel that you belong with or at, and other people want you there, and you're loved there. It's...where you have a family, too."_

Tetra groaned, then threw a bread crust at Gonzo. "You big saps! You overgrown babies! Shut up!"

"Miss..." Gonzo halted abruptly in his laughing fit and said slowly, "Did you just throw food at me?"

"Yeah, so?"

"Alright then, Miss, you started it!" With that, Gonzo dumped his soup over her head.

Tetra screeched, frantically scrabbling at her golden hair in a pathetic attempt to clear the sludge from her bun while the laughter only roared louder. "How dare you! I'm the captain! You can't do that!"

_"I can be 'home' with an idea? With a person?"_

_"'Course."_

"Food fight!" Kid-Link yelled, and the pirates erupted with cries of "Get the Miss!" and "Attack!"

Tetra shrieked, "MUTINY!" and ducked under Nudge's hand, trying to bolt for the door, but Niko grabbed her vest. Within seconds she was covered with various stew ingredients, and by the time she had wiggled out of her vest to escape, a full-fledged war was going on. Not only were the pirates throwing food at Tetra, but the brown essence of Senza's stew was covering everybody. "Fine! Take _that_!" She whipped a dripping carrot piece off her shoulder and flung it right at Senza, hitting him right in the face. "Aha! You can't beat m--mph!" And Kid-Link nearly fell over laughing, having just shoved a slice of bread into her mouth, but was silenced when Tetra slammed a full bowl of soup right into his face in retaliation.

Link sat there unmoving, watching the entire spectacle unfold in front of him, feeling extremely out of place with his food unused by his side and not even a speck of food on him. It reminded him a lot like the days in the Kokiri forest, really, where all the Kokiri laughed and played together while he remained on the sidelines.

Kid-Link wrenched the bowl off, and a sucking, squelching sound came out when he popped it off. Rubbing his eyes furiously, trying to get the gunk out of his face, Kid-Link blinked rapidly while Tetra laughed and ducked as a sopping piece of meat, courtesy of Mako, flew by. He finally got most of it cleared off, then spotted Link, completely clean and unsmiling. "Hey! Emit's not doing anything!" Kid-Link cried, pointing accusingly at Link, and both Link and the other pirates froze.

Navi punched Link hard with her tiny arms. Definitely, Link told her mentally, we're in deep trouble.

"Oh? Shall we fix that?" Nudge giggled, advancing slowly on Link, who tensed. Oh Farore, if only he had a shield or _something_...

"Aye," Mako agreed, wiping his glasses on his shirt, which didn't do anything because his shirt was just as nasty as his glasses. Somewhere along the way, Mako had put down his book, and held instead a tangled mash of stringy meat that dripped of stew.

Senza didn't say anything, just smiled slightly at Link, almost apologetically.

"Hey, swabbie!" chuckled Niko, "Which do you prefer, potatoes or carrots?"

"Neither," Link answered, slowly standing up and glancing nervously towards the door, which Tetra and Kid-Link blocked in one unanimous movement. Tetra smirked, winking at him while leaning casually on Kid-Link, and Kid-Link waved happily as if Link wasn't about to get pummeled by airborne food. Maybe his mask would protect him somewhat, Link thought sarcastically. Hm, sarcasm, a particular tone of voice he hadn't used in...he couldn't remember. Interesting. But not relevant at the moment. "Can I go now? Maybe I can help Zuko with watching Reoh--"

"No, no, it's your initiation, yeah?" Gonzo insisted, hefting a big lump of _something_ that Link couldn't identify. He didn't think he wanted to. "You have to stay!"

"Shouldn't you explain what this initiation thing is first? I don't even know what initiation is." Link was just stalling for time now.

"Doesn't matter," Senza said casually. "We don't lose in games. Especially pirate games."

Link's eyes darted from Niko, who was closest, to Kid-Link and Tetra, who were still guarding the door, but now armed with their own projectiles as well. "Food fights aren't pirate games."

"We never said the food fight was the game," Nudge said vaguely.

"So, Emit," Kid-Link called from across the room, "are you going to play with us?"

"...Play?" Link repeated blankly. "I'm not a child. And not only that," Link added, "weren't you the same people who were asking me to drink five minutes ago? You ask me to drink alcohol, and then ask me to play a child's game?"

"Yeah, so?" Nudge shrugged. "You don't have to be an adult all the time." Kid-Link nodded, smiling wide. The pirates stopped advancing and waited for Link to answer.

"Why?" asked Link, confused.

Tetra abandoned the door to Kid-Link and faced him, hands on her hips with authority and head regally held high like the royalty she could possibly be. The image was ruined with the strip of something orange hanging off her shoulder and the general gunk all over her clothes. "Because you're our swabbie, dumbass! No man left behind!"

After a tense moment, Link slowly bent down and picked up his untouched stew, then faced the rest of the pirate crew. "I...don't know what kind of game you're talking about," Link said, dipping two fingers into the murky liquid and selecting a squishy potato chunk, "but it might be fun." A smile touched his lips behind his mask, as he held it gingerly in his left hand.

And that's when the legendary Hero of Time ornamented the fearsome Captain Tetra's face with the various contents of his dinner, thus restarting the entire battle all over again.


	16. A Change in Behavior

He always welcomed silence. Silence wasn't a stranger to Link, and was something he had grown accustomed to during long hours without Saria to fill the void. When she finally detached herself from other friends to spend time with him, the silence went away, and Link was almost torn between Saria and the silence. In all the years he had been called silence friend, he never broke the silence on his own. But here, there was no silence to break, because the snores of the pirates—who were obviously not morning people—didn't allow any silence.

Navi flitted around his head lazily, still not fully awake, either. Mako's head was on his book, drooling with glasses lopsided on his nose. Gonzo was sprawled out in the middle of the room, Niko was face-down (how it was possible to breathe like that, Link didn't know), and Nudge was propped up against the wall. Senza was the only pirate who was actually sleeping like a normal person: flat on his back with his hands as his pillow. Kid-Link had one arm draped over Tetra, curled up close to her, even though he hadn't fallen asleep in that position. He had probably sleep-crawled over to her during the night. Tetra in turn had flung her own arm over his stomach, with all her other limbs spread at unnatural angles and her hair coming undone from it's bun. And Link sat cross-legged among them all, surveying the smelly remains of last night's battle and picking the last shreds of carrot out of his hair. He had taken his chances and taken his mask off, letting his hat lie on the floor besides him. Nobody was awake, anyway—and maybe they'd catch him. Link didn't know if he wanted that to happen or not.

The stench of old food was getting to him, so he quietly snuck through the kitchens and poked his head into Tetra's room, careful to hide the lower part of his face behind his hands as he tried to see what Reoh-Link's condition was. Zuko was sitting beside the bed, staring off into space and Reoh-Link lying motionless as ever. Zuko didn't look tired in the slightest, actually. Link's mind flashed back to the All-Night Mask, before Zuko hopped off his stool and shut the door wordlessly in Link's face. Link just shrugged and went outside to the deck, noting that Navi drifted after him, apparently on some sort of reflex after over seven years as Link's guardian fairy. She'd grown accustomed to recording the time he fell asleep, as well as waking him up exactly six hours later to avoid the nightmares.

Out on the deck, it as so early that the horizon was only smudged with orange. In the early morning stillness, it seemed that even the waves lapping against the sides were quieter, so much that it was just short of complete silence. There wasn't even a single gull to screech its presence to the sky, or flap it's wings and disturb the stillness, even if only by a little bit. Even Navi was too tired to talk, settling to actually fall asleep on his shoulder as he leaned himself against the railing, watching the almost unidentifiable sun's glow.

It was that silence that was so familiar to him, that absence of all noise that had become his friend. Silence had been there when he had been sent back in time and stripped of everything he had built. Silence had been there as he discovered that Navi had abandoned him, revealing herself to be a transparent friend who only followed him because the Great Deku Tree asked her to. Silence had been there as he lived his newfound seven years upon the rooftops of Castle Town. Silence had been there as he cursed himself for letting Hyrule fall. To shatter this precious glass treasure, what Link had when he had nothing, would be nothing short than betrayal on par with Navi's.

But after a few minutes…Link began to whistle.

He wasn't sure why, but he kept whistling every song and tune he knew, from the Song of Time to the Goron's Lullaby to Scarecrow's Song to a few he had made up years ago and a few he had composed on the spot. Admittedly, calling the Scarecrow's Song and anything he himself had created was, as Navi put it, "an insult to music," being rather pathetic and simple, but nobody was here to judge other than a dozing fairy. And he needed to whistle anything, anything at all, to keep the silence away. Curiously enough, very two or three songs, he would wind up whistling Saria's Song. The sun was just detaching itself from the blue waves and Link had finished his thirty-seventh repeat of Saria's Song when a faint scream came from behind the door, and seconds later, said door burst open.

"I'm sorry, Tetra! It wasn't on purpose!"

"VIOLATION OF PRIVACY!" Tetra shrieked, face red from either screaming on the top of her lungs or embarrassment. Or maybe a combination of the two.

Kid-Link pleaded, "I'm used to sleeping with Aryll, so it was probably just some sort of—"

"DOES PERSONAL SPACE MEAN NOTHING TO YOU?"

Mako rubbed his eyes, fixing his glasses. "Pardon me, but it looked like you were the one hugging him."

"I WAS NOT!"

Yawning, Nudge joked, "It's okay, Miss, we all understand. Young love is—"

"SHUT UP! I DON'T KNOW WHAT YOU'RE TALKING ABOUT!"

"I think we'd all be okay with it if you got a boyfriend…except maybe Gonzo," Senza said, and Link thought that it was probably a good thing that Gonzo was apparently still too dazed to comprehend words so early in the morning. Then Link finally realized that the pirates were _right there_ and jerked his shirt up over his exposed face, while Navi dove into his pocket. Hopefully the only pirate who really counted wouldn't have seen his face, which was Senza. And fortunately, nobody was looking his way.

"I DON'T NEED A BOYFRIEND! AND I'M ONLY ELEVEN! I'M TOO YOUNG FOR THAT KIND OF STUFF!"

"Says the girl who's the captain of a pirate ship," Nudge pointed out.

Tetra warned, "Don't make me give you all extra chores!" Finally she was piping down. How she could yell like that for so long, Link didn't know, nor did he want to know.

"Aye, Miss!" came the hasty reply.

"'Morning, Emit," Mako mumbled, and Link nodded awkwardly, feeling extremely odd with his shirt in such a weird position. He felt like a turtle.

"Oh, hi, Emit," Senza said pleasantly. "I'm going to check on Reoh now. Just letting you know."

"…Sure," Link replied, his voice muffled because of the shirt.

"What should we do today?" Niko asked, looking energetic already. "Don't make us clean up yet, Miss!"

Tetra scoffed, "Nobody tackles that mess yet. Nayru knows that we would all die if we tried to clear that up… No, let's do something else. Who's got any ideas?"

"…I've got one," Link volunteered. "But I'll tell you guys later, okay? I gotta do something first..." Looking at how he was holding his shirt over his face, Tetra shrugged and nodded. Then he darted back through the open door to hunt for his hat. If they'd seen the trademark triangle shape of the cloth or his face…

Well, he'd just have to lie some more.

* * *

"It's alright, Zuko, I'll take over from here," Senza told him, and Zuko hopped off his stool, immediately hobbling out Tetra's bedroom door. Senza proceeded to comfirm that yes, Reoh was alive, he had been administered medicine regularly, and that Reoh was indeed recovering.

Senza had the right to look at Reoh's face, if not Emit's, whereas nobody (including Tetra) could see either one's. So Senza took full advantage of that right and lifted the cloth off Reoh's face, examining the gaunt cheeks, bags under the eyes, and pale face. It was obvious that if Reoh weren't sick as he was, he'd be quite similar to Link, with a face that could be only described as elfish. But comparing Reoh's face to Link's was not what Senza was here for.

It had only been a split second, but that's all that's required to imprint a face in a memory. Namely, Emit's face in Senza's memory.

Sure, one face was completely wasted by the illness, but Senza could see that the two were exactly the same. That could easily be explained as being identical twins, Senza knew, but identical twins were the same age. And physical features were always the same, so height should be identical as the faces. So why was one a full two inches taller than the other, and why was one clearly at least a year older than one?

Rule number two: No secrets from Tetra.

* * *

"You're sure he's alright? That he's got the right medicine and all that?"

"Give it a rest, yeah? Din save me, you've been asking that every five seconds!"

"Have not."

"Have too."

"Ha--"

"You're both acting like little girls!" Tetra yelled, slamming her hands down while still keeping her cards concealed from everybody else. The table, unsteady as it was with the uneven legs, wobbled even more violently on the deck, disturbing the cards even more than the open wind that blew across the deck. Why they had decided to drag an entire table out here and chairs to the deck just to play a game, Link wasn't sure. Maybe because Tetra wanted to order Emit to do it, for the amusement. Tetra jabbed a finger in Emit's face. "Stop interrupting! I want to play the damn game already!"

"It's okay, Miss," Link whispered to her, glancing over at Emit, and Tetra growled before settling back into her chair. Emit shrugged, his eyes crinkling slightly at the corners, the only indication he was smiling under his mask. Gonzo merely grinned sheepishly.

"This is a pretty good game," Senza commented lightly, placing another card on the table and destroying Mako's entire set and therefore disqualifying him without blinking an eye. Mako hissed something to himself, hoisted his book a little higher under his arm, then sat back in his chair to watch everybody else play. "What's it called? You never told us."

"Fake Out," Emit answered absently, studying the cards on the table, then everybody else's faces with blatant interest. Link knew what he was searching for: anything out of place that could signal a lie.

"You're hovering over us like a vulture," Tetra drawled, "just play already."

"Nah, it's okay."

Tetra rolled her eyes as Gonzo threw down a command card with relish. "Miss, sacrifice all royal cards," he said, looking absolutely thrilled to be able to actually order Tetra for once.

Tetra examined her hand, then shook her head. "I don't have any." Gonzo's face fell, and he glared at his command card he had wasted as if it had done him wrong. Most activity died down as the players faced Link expectantly, as it was his turn.

"...Emit..." Link whispered to him, "...what do you say when you think somebody's lying?"

Emit eyed Tetra's cool, unreadable face, connecting what Link had just said to Tetra's claim about not having any royals. "You sure you want to be doing that? You'll automatically lose if you wrongly accuse her of lying..."

Shrugging, Link breathed back, "I've got this; don't worry."

"That's what you said last night, when you tried to sneak up on Niko. And three seconds later, you had stew in your face."

Link scratched his head, grinning uneasily. In truth, he didn't really know if Tetra was lying or not. But it was just a game, after all, so he didn't need to worry about consequences or anything. "Well, I've got this for real. So what do you say when you think somebody's lying?"

Emit sighed, then responded rather reluctantly, "You say, 'If you're going to lie, don't get caught.'"

Wrinkling his nose, Link said to Emit, "What the hey? Kinda weird…"

Half-nodding in agreement, Emit shrugged. "There was a government official who said something similar to Reoh…and an ancient warrior told him that almost word for word. He was something like a mentor to Reoh. I don't really understand the warrior, but I'm pretty sure that's where Reoh picked up the line. I guess he decided to use it here."

That was interesting information, but unnecessarily given, Link noted. But Link breathed, "Alright, thanks," before pointing at Tetra with a wide grin and declaring loudly, "If you're going to lie, don't get caught, Miss!"

Tetra glared back, recognizing the challenge. "…I didn't lie."

"You have royals in your hand," Link said firmly, not feeling any of resolve that covered his voice inside him. But then again, if he really did lose the game because he was wrong, it wasn't like he was going to get any backlash for his mistake. So because liars automatically lose the game immediately, it was either him or Tetra who went down.

"I said, I didn't lie," Tetra repeated forcefully.

"Then show your hand!" Link challenged, and the pirates watched the two with avid interest. Tetra eyed the onlookers, then smirked and placed her cards delicately on the table.

And there were no royals.

"See?" Tetra crowed. "And now, thanks to you, I get to get rid of this crappy hand and take fresh cards! HA!"

Link grinned in defeat, while the pirates sighed. Apparently, they had wanted to see Tetra get caught red-handed. "Oh, okay—"

"No…" Emit interrupted slowly, "…there's something…" And Emit poked the cards despite Tetra's hurried cries, and revealed two royals hidden beneath the cards. She had lined them up so perfectly that it had appeared that there were only four cards, when really there was six. Emit looked up, his blue eyes shining with mirth. "Well, you almost got away with it. It was pretty sneaky, but try being more original next time."

"Whaddya mean, original?" Tetra demanded, her cheeks red from embarrassment and anger as the pirates snickered at her mistake.

"Reoh did this exact move a while back. He, unlike you, got away with it. I'd have to say that he's the master when it comes to this game."

But Link wasn't listening, and was far too busy half-gloating, half-screaming. "YAAAHHH! I caught Tetra!"

"Yeah, you caught me," Tetra growled sulkily, crossing her arms and glaring. "Good for you."

"I caught Tetra, I caught Tetra," Link sang, getting out of his chair and prancing around the room. The pirates laughed louder, and Tetra's face grew redder. "I caught Tetra, I caught Te—"

Finally, Tetra snapped, and with a feral snarl she knocked over her own chair and lunged at Link. Link screamed and hopped away. "C'mere, you!" Tetra yelled.

"So you can kill me? No way!" Link cried, crashing into more chairs as he sprinted for the other side of the table, while the pirates burst into outright laughter and Emit snickered behind his mask. Tetra ran after him, and they were in an endless game, Link racing to get to the side of the table away from Tetra, and Tetra trying to get around the table to she could beat the living daylights out of him. So far, Tetra winning, much to the pirates hilarity. Link didn't notice Nudge whispering in Emit's ear, and Emit shrugging and nodding.

"You deserve to get killed, mocking me like that! I'm your captain, for the love of Nayru!"

Link didn't see Nudge's foot until it was too late, and he yelled as he tripped spectacularly, performing a perfect face plant on the deck. He twisted around immediately to make sure Tetra wasn't taking advantage of his mistake and trying to kill him, but only saw Tetra shouting a fine hash of multiple cuss words as she fell over somebody's extended leg. Was it seriously Emit who had just tripped Tetra, or was Link's eyes playing tricks on him? Link let out a loud _oof_ as she landed right on him, putting both of them in an extremely awkward situation with Tetra lying on top of him and noses practically touching.

"Whoa, Miss, whatcha doing?" Nudge teased. "Weren't you the one saying that you were too young for romance?"

"You… How… AGH!" At loss for words, Tetra smacked her hand down in frustration, therefore punching Link neatly in the chest. Link let out a moan, knowing that would bruise nicely. Tetra glared at Nudge, while avoiding Link's eyes at the same time.

"Lookit that…" Emit commented, a sly edge in his tone, "…they're both red as tomatoes, with their faces inches from each other… And—"

"Don't go any further, swabbie!" Tetra pushed herself roughly off Link, and Link groaned, because she had slammed her palms into his shoulders as she used him to propel herself up. "And stop _laughing_, goddessdammit!"

* * *

It had been days since Senza had given Link the medicine. He hadn't died yet, so Midna assumed that Sati had kept her word and somehow gotten the necessary ingredient for them, thus the medicine. Conveniently, a lantern had been placed on a bedside table, which cast Link's shadow to his immediate right and not much longer than a foot, and Midna was able to stay there, close to him. So all that was left was to wait and watch with bated breath from her position in his shadow, and would have been utterly and completely bored out of her skull if she hadn't been fretting every moment, much to her chagrin.

Zuko was fine; it was like he never had to sleep or even move. Nudge, on the other hand, wasn't doing much better than Midna from what she could see. He would pace, and if he wasn't doing that, he was reading a book without moving his eyes (which was impossible unless you weren't really reading it...just saying), or just plain dozing in a chair, which left Midna to roam around the room while he slumbered. But she didn't go touring the room, preferring to stay right by Link's side. Link had grown much skinnier...but in a bad way. He used to be fit with a toned body, but now, his face had become haggard and hollow and his body thin and weak-looking. So she continued to stay by him, sometimes humming Twilian lullabies, praying to the goddesses that had forsaken her race to save him, somehow...if only he would wake up...

And then, on the third day after he had been discovered sick, he really did wake up.

Luckily or unluckily, depending on what your perspective of the situation was, Nudge hadn't been sleeping at the time, so he was on his feet and hollering for Tetra in seconds. Midna heard shouted orders coming from outside immediately: "Emit and Senza, follow me, everybody else STAY OUT! Why, you ask? 'CUZ I SAID SO!"

"Oh, he woke up," was what she said when she sauntered through the door. "Now I can stop sleeping in that cesspit you men call sleeping quarters. Oh Nayru, his feet are filthy. Has he been going barefoot this entire time? Niko better wash my sheets good after this." She paused in the doorway, which was probably the worst thing she could have done.

"Reoh!" Emit-Link and Kid-Link crashed into Tetra in their frantic attempt to see what was going on. Kid-Link's worry and excitement was plain on his face, but Emit-Link was more restrained, although his body language gave it all away. Curiously, if he face seemed to have any emotion, it looked angry.

"Link! Get out! This is my room, in case you forgot!" Tetra snapped, pointing at the door.

Kid-Link whined, "Aw, please, Miss?"

"...Fine."

Emit-Link completely ignored the two. "Hey!" Emit-Link hissed, kneeling by Link's bed. There was definitely a note of worry and irritation in there. "Listen!" Midna snorted quietly, remembering Navi's favorite words. "Look at me, Reoh!" Midna couldn't see anything from where she was, so she slipped from shadow to shadow until she ended up hiding behind Tetra's desk. Here, she could watch everything going on.

Link's eyes were glazed over and unfocused, and when he turned his head to the side to gaze blankly at Emit-Link, his movements were lethargic and limp. He tried to wiggle his way to a sitting position, but began to cough violently, causing Nudge to force him back down. Midna shivered at the coughing fit, closing her eyes so she wouldn't see his skeletal frame shuddering under the covers. Nudge patted Link's hand until he stopped. Senza rubbed his beard, examining Link from a distance.

"...Did I underestimate the state of the illness?" he muttered. Well, Midna thought, if that mistake of yours delays Link's recovery, I swear I will put bugs in your food.

Finally, Link opened his mouth, trying to form words, and croaked out, "...Thanks...Mr. Hanch..."

Emit-Link stared, then sighed and shook his head. Nudge whirled around, confused, asking Emit-Link, "Hanch? Did he just call me a Hanch?"

"Hanch is a man from his home village," Emit explained, still shaking his head. "Somebody Nudge very obviously is not."

"So he's hallucinating?" Link asked, eyes wide. Emit-Link nodded.

"We're talking about a Fake Out master, according to you," Tetra said skeptically. "I wouldn't put it past him to be acting…"

"He's not faking it," Emit-Link interrupted. "Because he just let Nudge touch him. He's not a touchy type."

"Oh…" Kid-Link whispered, and at that, Link's eyes locked lazily on Kid-Link.

Link's mask fluttered as his breath sucked in air, then let it out in the form of disconnected words. "Hi... Shouldn't you be...in Castle Town?"

"Hoo boy; here we go," Emit-Link muttered, almost too softly to be heard.

"What're you...doing here...Malo?"

Kid-Link glanced at Emit-Link for explanation, and Emit-Link shrugged, but his face was pained. He explained, extremely quietly, "Malo is a boy from his village...a pretty weird boy at that. He's probably not even taller than my knee and less than a third of my age, but he runs an entire business by himself. And Malo is probably more mature than...oh, say...Reoh himself." Kid-Link giggled, and Midna smirked in agreement. Malo _was_ an odd kid.

"Whoa...that's cool..." Kid-Link gaped in admiration. "I get to be Malo, the super-kid!" Emit-Link smiled and patted Kid-Link's head.

"Weird names," Tetra commented dryly, and Link's eyes moved to her next at the sound of her voice.

"Talo..."

"Oh, geez, first Malo and now Talo..." Tetra growled, seemingly impervious to the weight of the situation. "At least tell me that Talo is a girl."

Emit-Link stifled a laugh, his mask probably hiding a grin, and Tetra cried, "You're kidding me, right? He's mistaking me for a _male_ brat?" At that, Emit-Link actually laughed, and Midna watched him with rapt attention. From what Midna had see of Emit-Link, he was not one for laughing. Especially in front of a half-dead person. Suddenly anger flared up; how could they be so cheerful?

Tetra glowered at Emit-Link, and he stopped. "Sorry. I shouldn't be laughing, I know."

Damn straight, Midna thought.

Link stared at Emit-Link for a long moment, before groaning, "Hi, Rusl..." Emit-Link froze, and remained that way as Link continued in his strained voice, "Where's...Midna?"

"...I don't know. Probably where she…always is," Emit-Link answered uncertainly, while Senza, Nudge, Tetra, and Kid-Link watched the two.

"Who's Midna?" Tetra demanded.

"A friend of his."

Link's fingers somehow twisted their way weakly into Emit-Link's shirt edge. "Did...she leave?" Link's eyes weren't glassy anymore, gaining a slight sharper tinge to them, and his eyes were almost beseeching. "She can't have...left? Please, Rusl..."

"…She wouldn't leave," Emit-Link responded slowly. Midna could imagine how unnerving it would be to see somebody who normally regarded you with sneers and insults to be treating you with such a demeanor.

"She would," came the breathy reply.

Emit-Link asked, "Why? Why should she leave? There's no reason."

"Chained..."

Emit-Link stood there awkwardly, while Midna tried to unravel what Link had meant, then he gingerly unwound Link's fingers from his shirt. "Just go to sleep. Forget about things like that. Those kinds of problems can wait." Link nodded obediently, closing his eyes again, and Midna was almost glad when the glazed eyes were obscured. They scared her. How Link was acting scared her.

"Oh yeah, definitely not acting," Emit-Link muttered. "He actually did what I told him to… And when I touched him, he didn't act like he just got prodded with a branding iron…then try and break my nose." The pirates laughed softly, and Emit-Link smiled wanely with them—tired, uncertain, and worried, but he smiled.

Midna wondered, what could have happened to cause such actions from him?


	17. The Girl with the Fancy Hat

That song in this chapter based off the translation of a non-english song. I'm not that imaginative, seriously, to be able to think of those kinds of lyrics...

Still looking for a chapter I like completely. Still haven't found any.

* * *

_"And then Mido fell off the bridge right on top of Fado! Fado's alright, but she started yelling at him and smacking him. It was hilarious!" Saria's voice giggled, and Link chuckled with her. Saria's voice took a more sorrowful turn as she continued, "I really wish you could have been there. Hey, when are you coming back, anyway?"_

_Link's laughter trailed away. The last time he had been to the Kokiri forest had been years ago, so he could say last good-bye's before he left for good, way back when he'd still been eleven and the same height as everybody else. He would continue to grow, and the Kokiri would notice that he was gradually getting taller when they weren't, so he would have to leave and never turn back. He would only be able to talk to Saria using Saria's Song. Other than that, the only connection he had to the Kokiri was his tunic, which he still insisted he wear for that reason, despite Zelda's attempts to get him a new wardrobe. Even Navi, his guardian fairy, had disappeared, and despite his attempts all those years ago, she was nowhere to be found. "I'm coming back eventually. I still have things that the Great Deku Tree asked me to do."_

_The lies all but burned his throat. He would never return._

_Link could almost hear her eyes narrowing, but she let it drop. "I think Fado wasn't mad that Mido almost hurt her, though. I think she was mad because Mido could have been hurt."_

_Thinking back to Tatl and Tael, Link agreed, "I would think so. They're siblings, after all. They have to look out for each other and all that." _

_"Aren't we kind of like them? Brother and sister?"_

_Link suppressed a smile. "I suppose."_

_"And and and Link!"_

_"Yes?"_

_"The Great Deku Sprout popped up today!"_

_"Really?" Three, four years earlier than before. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that Ganondorf wasn't around._

_"And I was talking with the Great Deku Sprout today...and Link, I've got a question. It's kind of random, but ever since the Great Deku Sprout told me about it, it's kind of been sitting in the back of my head."_

_"Shoot."_

_"Do you believe in reincarnations?"_

_He stared at the ocarina, one eyebrow raised, before admitting, "I've never really thought about it..." This was probably the most serious topic they'd ever discussed._

_"None of the other Kokiri believe it, or even try and consider it," Saria's voice complained, "and it's getting really annoying. But you think it's possible, right, Link?"_

_"Sure." Link shrugged. It didn't really matter to him if he got reincarnated, and the likelyhood of him being reincarnated was, in his opinion, extremely low. And he wouldn't remember his past self anyway. If he got reborn, then he'd consider it important._

_"If I get reincarnated..." Saria mused, then finished, "I'd want to have pretty blonde hair like yours, and green eyes like the forest!"_

_"Really? I though you liked your green hair because nobody else had that color."_

_"But you have such pretty hair! And it would be boring if I had green hair in both lives, y'know? So what would you change, Link?"_

_"...Nothing, I guess." _

_"You're so unimaginative!" Saria huffed._

_Link smiled, but answered, "I'm not really concerned with that kind of thing. What I get it what I get." Link waited for Saria to reply, but her voice didn't come from the ocarina. "...Saria? Hello? You still there?"_

_"Hey, Link..."_

_"Yeah?"_

_"I noticed just now, but...is your voice getting lower? Like, deeper?"_

_Link didn't say anything. He couldn't._

_"The Great Deku Tree said to me before that voice changes are only supposed to happen to people from the outside world when they start to grow up. He said that the Kokiri will never have to do that kind of stuff. Are you trying to pull some sort of prank on me, Link?"_

_"I-It must be the ocarina," Link reasoned, trying to keep the panic out of his tone. "Maybe it's distorting my voice."_

_"Funny. It's never done that before..."_

_Was she connecting the dots between his voice change and the peculiarities that he had displayed when he didn't know he was a Hylian? He could come out with the truth, that he wasn't a Kokiri... But he wanted her to remember him as a true Kokiri, a Kokiri who was merely asked by the Great Deku Tree to venture outside the forest for a while. At least that was something he could change._

_So he whispered quietly to the ocarina, "Er, I have to go, Saria. Sorry."_

_"Oh, really? Then make to sure talk to me soon, okay?"_

_Link bit his lip before answering. "...Sure."_

_"You better keep that promise!" Saria warned teasingly. "You better remember!"_

_"I will," he promised, knowing how hollow his words were. He added, his voice barely a whisper, "...See you later..."_

_Link stared at the wooden ocarina for a moment longer after the connection dropped, then put it away in his pouch. He stood up and stretched, then hopped off the rooftop to the streets of Castle Town. He would never be able to talk to his best friend again, he knew, because his voice would only continue to change._

_He began walking down the street, then stopped and whipped his head around so fast he cricked his neck. He scanned the area, sure he'd seen that familiar blue light that had left him... Still, there was nothing there. It must be his imagination trying to depress him even more than he already was._

_Well, today was the special day that came around only once a month, the day he was supposed to meet up with Zelda. That would cheer him up, he knew. Other than Saria, Zelda was the only one who could lift his spirits just by being around her._

* * *

For some reason, Tetra never allowed Link to stay in the room with Reoh-Link. It was always either Zuko or Nudge. But Link didn't think much of it, and kept watch in the crow's nest if Zuko was watching Reoh-Link or helped Kid-Link with whatever he happened to be slaving over at the time if Nudge was watching Reoh-Link. And if Link was in the crow's nest, Navi was able to come out of his pocket to stretch her wings and Link was able to take off the mask, which was becoming more on the troublesome side.

It just so happened to be Zuko taking the shift with Reoh-Link on day four of being a pirate when the frog came.

"Miss!" Link yelled down from the mast.

"What?"

"Are gigantic cyclones coming straight for us bad?"

Tetra shouted back, "Use your head, gill-brain!"

"Uh, yeah, Link," Navi remarked, "I'd think that a gigantic cyclone would be bad, too."

"We're too big to be affected by a pathetic cyclone!" Laughter floated up from below. "As if such slight breeze could hurt us!"

Link glanced at Navi in amusement, and she fluttered her wings in annoyance. "Hey, better to assume the worst."

"Hang on, Emit! What shape is the cyclone?" Tetra called.

"What shape is good?" Link hollered.

"We're a pretty big ship, so any shape other than hourglass is fine!"

Link squinted in the bright sun, trying to make out the shape. "...And if it's an hourglass shape?"

"Then somewhere in that cyclone would be Cyclos, a wind god, who likes to transport ships of all sizes to random places on the Great Sea! Either that, or demolish a bunch of stuff! Nobody actually sees him inside, but we can all hear his goddessdamned laughing!" Tetra's voice took a spiteful turn, the type that signaled that she hated Cyclos because she was powerless against him.

Tapping his nose, Link knew that if they got warped to someplace else when they were just days from the Forsaken Fortress, that would be bad. Very, very bad.

Wait...

Warp?

Cyclone?

"Emit, what shape is it?" Tetra's voice seemed to be coming closer, and Link quickly wrapped his hat back around his face and Navi slipped into his pocket as Tetra popped her head up. "Can you see it?"

"Why, yes, I can..." Link muttered. "And it's an hourglass shape."

Tetra then proceeded to recite every filthy insult she could and somehow link them all to this Cyclos, then didn't bother with the ladder and sailed right off the crow's nest railing, bellowing orders as she went down: "Commence storm preparations! Tie the sail so it doesn't rip! Take down the good flag and replace it with the old one! Either untie all ropes or tighten them! Get all loose equipment below decks! Get _yerselves_ below decks! Move move _move_!"

Link decided that he wouldn't bother with the ladder either. When he landed, gritting his teeth but appreciating the thrilling freefall, he heard Gonzo ask, concerned, "What is it, Miss? What was that about cyclones?"

"Cyclos," Tetra hissed, and all the pirates' movements got a lot faster. Pacing, Tetra muttered, "Nayru curse him, we're nowhere near his usual islands, and yet he still shows up... Well, we're in the same sector as the Mother and Child Isles, but we're still decently far away..."

"Why don't you just attack him back?" Link suggested.

"He's a _wind god_, Emit," Senza explained, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. Probably to the pirates, it most certainly was. Link was tempted to reply with a cheeky, "So?" but decided against it.

"Then outrun him!" Kid-Link said, popping up besides them.

Tetra stated grudgingly, "We're not the fastest ship out there. Honestly, there're sailboats that are faster than this old girl. A lot of sailboats. And Cyclos isn't the type to get outrun by anything, speedy little sailboat or no. Believe me, we tried outrunning the bastard." Turning to the rest of the crew, she roared, "Move faster, Mako! Your book can wait! We're talking about Cyclos here!"

Link didn't really know what the "storm preparations" were, so he just helped Kid-Link move a few boxes below decks. At least Kid-Link looked equally lost, while everybody else seemed to know exactly what to do. When everything appeared to be done, Cyclos was a lot closer, and a few high-pitched cries could be heard on the wind. The winds itself were shifting a lot faster, Link noticed, whipping past them and blowing hair every which way. Probably, Link told himself dryly, because he's a _wind_ god, wouldn't you think?

"Everybody inside, now!" Tetra ordered, holding the door open. All the pirates, including Kid-Link rushed through the open doorway...except for Link. "Whaddya waitin' for, swabbie? You got a death wish or something?"

"Er...I forgot something up on the crow's nest," Link lied. More lying...

"Oh? And what is this 'something'?" Tetra asked, eyes narrowing in suspicion. Hopefully she hadn't notice that there hadn't been anything up in the crow's nest other than him and Navi, who she wasn't supposed to know about. The winds began to really howl, and Cyclos's voice could be heard quite clearly, even though the winds blurred his words.

"A book," Link answered smoothly. "Mako lent it to me." The book that Link was referring to was actually a handbook on sailor knots, conveniently pocket-sized, and currently residing in the exact same pocket Navi was hiding in. Was he getting better at lying? Was that a good thing? Almost all Hylians were honest, Zora's and Gerudo's were too proud, Goron's were too friendly, and Kokiri's didn't even know what lying was. "And you know how he is about his books, Miss..."

"...Fine. Go get it, but be quick about it!" Tetra commanded. "I'll wait here!"

"No, Miss, go inside," Link said firmly. "I'll just be a minute."

"I'm your captain! I'm responsible for you--"

"You're wasting time standing here, Miss, and if you're so worried about your crew, I think you should go inside," Link pointed out, before gently pushing her inside and slamming the door. Then he turned the little switch above the doorknob to lock it. Furious pounding came from inside, and Link called through the door, "I'll just take a minute!"

Tetra's voice blared through the door, sounding like she was barely able to get words out through her rage. "If you die, I will _kill_ you! I'll tie you to a rope and make you scrape the barnacles off the bottom of the ship! I'll tie you to a flaming barrel and catapult you into Fire Mountain and watch as you burn to death! I'll chain you to a tree, smother you with bait, and watch the helmarocs peck your guts out! I'll _skin__ you alive_! Now getcher ass back in here, you little piece of shi--ow! Nudge! Stop poking me like that!"

"Young ladies shouldn't swear, Miss," Nudge's voice scolded. "But seriously, Emit--"

"I don't feel like getting set back on the journey to Forsaken Fortress, Miss, so I'll be seeing what I can do about Cyclos here," Link said, cutting him off. "I'll be fine; Farore knows I've been through a lot worse than this." The understatement of the year, Link thought idly, as he retied his mask around his face much more firmly. And his reasons for staying out here wasn't exactly a lie, thank the goddesses. It was merely a half-truth. He didn't want to delay getting to the Forsaken Fortress any more than the wind angle had already caused, but Link also had a lot of questions to ask about a certain cyclone popping up in a certain Lake Hylia.

Raging winds swirled around him, obscuring any other threats from Tetra, and Navi clutched his pocket in fear, remembering their last experience with a cyclone. He didn't see any rope to tie himself to the mast so he wouldn't fall off, so Link just wrapped his left arm around the railing and prayed to Farore that he wouldn't get blown away. Ocean water was being picked up by the cyclone now, and droplets flew at such high speeds it felt like a sharp rock had been thrown at him when one landed on his cheek. He could just make out Cyclos in the middle of the whirlwind, a red smudge in the middle...but Tetra said that Cyclos was known to be inside the cyclones because he was laughing. Cyclos's voice wasn't the clearest, but he was obviously not laughing.

"...When I get...hands on...bitch...strangle her...how the hell...that damn ocarina!"

Link's ears twitched. Ocarina, eh? Link had plenty of experience with ocarinas...and he knew a certain ocarina that would most certainly be capable to traveling through time and transportation.

The cyclone was right next to the ship, and the ship began to circle around the cyclone's edge. Link prepared to yell out to the red smudge when said smudge zoomed right up to Link and peered in his face. He jerked backwards, nearly shaking Navi out of his pocket and letting go of the railing.

Cyclos...was a frog. A big, talking frog. Link barely resisted the urge to laugh in the admittedly fat frog's face.

The frog eyed Link, then said, "Hey, boy, have you seen a guy around your age wearing a green dress and a pointy hat?"

Link's eyes widened. Cyclos could be talking about Kid-Link, but he said around Link's age... Was Cyclos talking about Link? Who else? But after Link got over that surprise, Link's eyes turned to slits and he repeated, "Green...dress...?" It was a pretty inane thing to think about at this moment, but still...it's _not_ a dress! How many times did he have to tell people that? "It's a _tunic_," Link corrected delicately.

"Yeah, whatever! He's got a floaty light-thing that follows him everywhere! Kinda like an overgrown firefly!" As Navi bristled inside Link's pocket, Cyclos zoomed around the deck frantically on his purple cloud, as if he could find this person. And what was hilarious to Link was that Cyclos was referring to none other than Link himself, who just continued to watch the wind god's frantic efforts silently. "Either that, or a imp with a big head and funky hat!"

Navi and Midna, and Cyclos was simply referring to Reoh-Link and Link as the same person because of the similarities. "Have I seen him?" After a moments thought, Link said slowly, "...Maybe..."

"You have?" Cyclos shrieked, back in Link's face in a flash and shaking Link roughly, his clammy hands squeezing Link's shoulders painfully. "Where did you see him? Where are they?"

"Stop attacking me and maybe I'll remember!" Link shouted, remembering a similar experience with a certain mask salesman. Cyclos immediately unhanded Link and waited impatiently on his cloud, crossing his arms and glaring at Link. "First, why do you need to know where they are?"

"None of your business, shrimp! Just tell me!"

"It is my business," Link snapped. "Now, I've got information you want, you've got information I want, so lets make a deal and exchange."

Cyclos growled, "I'm a wind god, fool! I am CYCLOS! You can't demand information out of me!"

"Watch me," Link responded smugly. The winds raged harder as Cyclo's already red face turned redder still, but Link still clung to the railing, looking Cyclos dead in the eye.

Sighing, Cyclos grinned. "You've got attitude, kid! Few can stand up to me! They all turn into yellow-bellies and run away. Very annoying. Do you have any idea how stupid you feel when nobody fights back? There's no fun if there's no competition...unless they put up a fight and fail. Then it's pretty funny. Alrighty, kid, it's a deal." The winds still swirled violently, but they moved around Link, no longer affecting him, so he decided to put a little faith in the wind god and let go of the railing. "Whaddya need to know?"

"First. Why do you need to find this person in green?"

Glowering at a spot somewhere over Link's shoulder, Cyclos snapped, "It's because that little _bitch_ came and _tricked_ me!"

"...Could you specify?" Link asked. "The, er, term you used for this person isn't very helpful."

"That goddessdamned girl with the fancy hat!" Cyclos fumed, beginning to start ranting. "She came all innocent and sweet-like, saying, 'Could you play this song on this ocarina? Please?' and then she tells me something story about Zephos which I'm pretty sure is a lie, and the next thing I know, I've accidentally plucked two poor souls out of their times!"

"What did the ocarina look like? Did it have the Royal Family mark on it?" Link demanded, voice rising in hope.

Cyclos blinked and stared at Link. "...How do you know about the Royal Family? Nobody knows about them nowadays. They've all died out except for a few remainders who don't even know their own lineage..."

"I'm a foreigner. I don't come from the Great Sea."

"Really," Cyclos responded, looking amused.

"Really."

"Sure, sure, whatever you say, kid," Cyclos chuckled, waving a flipper. "Yeah, it had the mark on it."

"Was it blue? With a silver band near the mouthpiece?"

"Yep. That's the one."

Definitely the Ocarina of Time. Link pressed, "So you played it, and then...?"

"I accidentally summoned two boys here. They're not supposed to be here! I have to send them back!" Cyclos scratched his head anxiously.

"Can you do that?" Link felt hope growing within him; he could return to Hyrule!

Link's hope lived for about two seconds before Cyclos squashed it. "Nope. I'd need that ocarina, which the girl took with her while I wasn't looking...and even then, I'm just a god of wind. I don't know exactly how to use it. Summoning those two was a complete accident, where my control over wind mixed up with whatever magical properties that ocarina had. Either it was an accident, or the bitch had something to do with it."

"Oh," was all Link could say, crushed.

"Perk up, kid!" Cyclos chuckled, "I get to ask questions now!"

"Fire away," Link muttered, still depressed.

Cyclos stroked an imaginary beard, then laughed, "I've got a good one." After a moment of waiting on Link's part, Cyclos abruptly shrieked, "_WHO IN THE SACRED REALM ARE YOU_!"

Link jumped a foot into the air, shocked, before stuttering, "L--uh, Emit--"

"No, not your name, you bimbo! You knew about the Royal Family! You knew that it wasn't really a dress, it was a tunic! When I used the vague term, 'times,' you didn't ask questions, like you already knew what was going on! I want explanations, now!"

"I-I, um, actually, er, well..." Link wasn't prepared. What was he supposed to say? He was not someone for making up stories on the spot, or creating imaginary tales, or doing anything creative, really, which was why he kept using anagrams to name people--

"He found me!" Navi squeaked, coming out of Link's pocket and landing on his shoulder. Voice tinged with irritation, Navi said, quite sarcastically, "I'm the overgrown firefly, as you so gracefully put it!"

Cyclos didn't have a chance to respond before Navi went on a huge spiel. "When the cyclone came and kidnapped me and my ward, that guy with the tunic, I got separated from my ward and ended up in a foreign country out of the Great Sea, and when I found this guy Emit here, I decided to stick with him and travel until I could find my ward, and I told him everything about the Hero of Time and the Royal Family and how I came to be in this world because the big cyclone, then Emit picked up a buddy Reoh, and then they stowed away on this ship, and then Reoh got sick, and then Emit had to join the crew, and then--"

"I think he gets the picture," Link whispered, and Navi stopped, sucking in air after letting all that out in one breath. Cyclos looked a little dazed from the overload of information, and Link was having a similar problem comprehending the situation. "Navi..."

"What?"

"You just... Just now... For the first time..." He didn't have to finish the sentence.

"Yeah, I lied," Navi breathed in his ear, "because you obviously were going to end up fried! And it's my job to protect you!"

"...Thanks."

"No need to get sappy on me. Just squeeze any more info out of this frog and get him to leave. No, never mind, I'll do that, too."

Link wondered if Tatl had the ability to change her color to blue...permanently. That would explain _everything_.

Regaining, his ability to speak, Cyclos pointed at Navi and commanded, "Then...I need you to come with me!"

"Why?" Navi said bluntly. Link really wished she would get off his shoulder, feeling the irritation vibes emanating from her. Ever since she'd come back after leaving him for a few years, she didn't act quite the same, and sometimes turned rather nasty whereas before she'd been more on the polite side. And when she got like that, there was no stopping her. Apparently, not even lying.

"I have to return you to your time!" Cyclos cried. "I have to fix this mess!"

"You just said," Navi snapped, "that you don't know how!"

"I'll figure out a way! Just--"

"Tell you what," Navi interrupted, "when you find my ward, that girl with the fancy hat and the ocarina, I'll come with you. Or if you figure out how to return everything to how it was without those three."

Cyclos swelled with fury, and the fairy and her ward watched him carefully, but eventually he took a deep breath and said, "Alright, alright. Normally, I only listen to the waker of the winds, if I approve of him, of course, but I guess because it was my fault to begin with, I'll do it..."

"Whatever a waker of the winds are. Listen, what does this girl look like? So I can keep an eye out for her too," Navi demanded.

"Black hair, blue eyes, huge floppy straw hat with a dangly pendant-thingy on it. She's completely insane, so you can't mistake her for somebody else." Cyclos shook his head. "Goddesses, I really need to take a little time off, calm my nerves... Yeah, that's what I need." Now laughing manically, Cyclos zipped back into his cyclone and began to leave, whooping as he went. "Let's cause some destruction, baby! Waaahoooo!"

"...Well, that's one way to get rid of him," Navi commented as the winds began to slow down.

"Shouldn't you be worried? He did just say he's off to destroy stuff..."

"I don't feel like worrying. I'm tired, I'm bored, and my hair is a complete mess thanks to all that wind. I really just don't have it in me to care at the moment."

Link remembered the very first time he met her, with her formal tone and cold-shoulder treatment, and smiled under his mask.

"You sound a lot like Midna, you know? Or Tatl."

"Shut it."

"I rest my case."

* * *

_He was in a warm place. Probably his bed. His eyes were shut, and soothing darkness wrapped itself around him, and he welcomed the emptiness. Maybe he would be able to sleep a little longer before Fado woke him up to do whatever Fado couldn't with the goats._

_Yep, there was the voice now. It wasn't exactly comprehendible to him at the moment, in his dazed state of mind, but it was definitely a voice. Or at least a noise. He shifted a little in his sleep, trying to get comfortable, but all of a sudden, something wasn't right. The bed didn't smell like...well, his bed. Hmm...it smelled like the ocean, whereas his own pillow smelled like the forest. Well, whatever. Beds were beds. They were soft, comfy, and warm, so he wasn't complaining. And he wasn't going to open his eyes to see what was wrong with his pillow. The darkness was far too pleasant._

_Since when did Fado sing? Since when was Fado's voice so high? Maybe it was Ilia, then. But Ilia, singing? A rather odd image._

"All those times, together..."

_This wasn't any song he'd ever heard... And this voice sounded different from Ilia's. He groaned softly, not wanting to get up. The last time he had opened his eyes, he'd seen all the villagers standing around him, talking nonsense...not that he hadn't done the same. Asking Rusl about Midna? Not the smartest thing he could have done. Now that he thought back to it, why had Rusl known about Midna anyway?_

"The days we've passed, together, the paths we've walked, together..."

_His head was beginning to hurt just thinking about these questions, and he'd had enough of aches and bruises, so he shut down that particular line of thought and squeezed his eyes tighter. The pillow that smelled like the ocean was irritating him, so instead he focused on the voice, hoping that would be simple enough so he wouldn't get a headache._

"Whether our meeting was coincidence or fate, just being together..."

_It was a pretty song, he concluded, and smiled slightly to himself. Why was the voice so familiar? He wanted to see who it was, his curiosity greater than his unwillingness to leave the darkness._

"Is a miracle..."

_He cracked open his eyes..._

* * *

...and severely regretted it. Link's throat was dry, his body screamed in protest from disuse, his skin felt nasty and crusted, and had a splitting headache. Oh, and his stomach clenched itself into agonizing knots, trying to digest food that wasn't there and getting payback for Link's negligence at the same time. Definitely can't forget that.

"Link!" he heard, and immediately began struggling to sit up, ignoring the throb that pounded harder against his skull and how his joints creaked when he moved. He wasn't making much headway with his battle against gravity, though. Midna sat on the edge of the bed, eyes wide with worry, and a tall pirate was slumped in his chair nearby, evidently sleeping. She bounced to a nightstand and upon snatching a cup, shoved it in his face. "Quick, drink it!" Link tried to hold it in his hand, he really did, but his hand refused to stop shaking. Midna sighed, her expression resigned, and tipped the contents down Link's throat. Great. Now he was getting baby-fed by Midna. She would never, ever stop teasing him about this.

But the...whatever it was in the cup...certainly did help, not only with the pain but with the thirst as well. Granted, it tasted worse than Coro's soup, which was saying something, but nonetheless, all the pain went away to be replaced with a giddy numbness. Was it just Link's imagination, or was he actually losing some feeling in his fingers?

"Are you...alright?" Midna asked quietly. Link rolled his eyes. "Hmm, you're right. It was a pretty dumb question."

Link strained his ears, hearing only stillness beyond the door even with his sensitive hearing. "Is...it night?" he whispered, his throat grating painfully like sandpaper from disuse. It certainly came out like sandpaper.

"Yeah," Midna replied, her voice so soft that Link could barely hear it.

"Midna..."

"What?"

"Are...you al...right?"

There was a silence so long that Link thought she was just going to ignore him, but finally she hissed, "Stupid, _stupid_, light-dweller!"

Blinking in surprise, he could only watch in his weakened state as she hovered in the air, glaring at him. He croaked, "M...idna?" He'd expected something like this...but not for her to actually let it show.

"What the bloody hell were you _thinking_? You could have _died_!" she burst out, shoving her face in his and smacking him anywhere she could. With a yelp, Link moved faster than he thought he could with his protesting body and wrenched the covers above his head in a vain effort to hide. He nearly fainted from his jolt of pain his muscles sent at him, but it was better than braving Midna's wrath without the protection of the blanket. "You stupid, stupid, stupid, selfish, stupid, selfless, stupid _idiot_! How dare you scare me like that!"

"'m sorry!" Link's words were garbled because of his uncooperative tongue and muffled because of the sheets, so he was surprised when Midna appeared to have heard and stopped in her attempts to kill him. After a moment, he slid the covers back an inch and glimpsed Midna with her back to him, pouting in the air, and the pirate twitching slightly in his sleep before settling back down again.

"You're so selfish...and selfless... And I'm not sure which is worse...or if there's even a difference..."

"...Midna?"

But she refused to talk to him after that. Midna remained silent as she sat in the air, completely immobile, and Link watched the back of her head, trying to make sense of her words through the drumroll in his temples. Link couldn't remember drifting back to sleep.


	18. Broken Calm

Is...is this what the so-called, "writer's block" is like? Damn, it's not a very nice feeling, is it?

* * *

"I don't know, really," Emit said, eyeing the obstacle course. "I guess you just need tough hands..."

"Alright! I'll do it again!" Link shouted enthusiastically, jumping back to his feet and sprinting for the switch, hearing Niko laugh from the other side of the room. Emit got up to, probably to protest, but Link was already on the first platform.

Link finally stopped on the fourth platform, no great feat by this time. He got to the fourth platform almost every single time he did this now. However, if he could stay on the rope...that would definitely make Niko go wild. Niko watched Link with apprehension, Link watched the rope sway gently through the air with grudging respect for his archenemy, and Emit watched them all with his arms crossed smugly.

Emit began, "Link! Instead of trying to hold onto the rope--"

"Nananananaaa, I can't hear youuuu!" Link yelled back, plugging his ears. "I will do this by myself! Me, myself, and I!" Emit shrugged, raising an eyebrow.

So instead of listening to whatever advice Emit had been about to give, Link sat down on the platform and stared that last rope down. He could probably try and cheat, maybe wrapping something around his hands...but he wanted to win outright. And no cheating techniques or advice would take his hard-won victory away from him. He would do it himself.

What was it that prevented him from getting to the last platform. This rope, Link reflected, was no different from the others. There was nothing special about it that prevented him from reaching the last platform. So what was it that didn't let him use this rope like all the others. It was like...there was a wall that prevented him from crossing...

...A wall that existed only in his mind. It was a psychological trick.

He heard the ticking noise that signaled he only had a small amount of time left. With a battle cry, Link jumped back to his feet and charged that evil abomination called the last rope and seized the rope. He didn't realize he'd closed his eyes as his palms dragged over the fibers, but it didn't hurt as much as the other times. Really, the wall only appeared unbreakable, but was so flimsy that it shattered as soon as the illusion was discovered. This rope was no different against the other ropes, and it was only Link's mindset that stood in his own way.

And when he opened his eyes, he was standing on the fifth platform.

"I... I..." A wide, goofy grin was probably on his face, but Link didn't care. "I did it!" He practically danced his way over to Niko. "La, lalala!"

"Congratulations, swabbie!" Niko exclaimed. "Now, because you finished the test, you have to sign your name in the air with your butt. Then you can get the treasure."

"Why do I have to sign my name in the air with my butt?"

"Because I said so, Link. And because I think it'd be funny to watch."

"Why didn't Emit have to do that?" Link asked, pointing back at Emit.

Niko rubbed his chin. "Hm. Good point. Oi, Emit, get over here!"

"No!" came the emphatic reply.

* * *

  
"Reoh..." Emit murmured, trying to get him to wake up. Zuko had motioned in his usual mute way to indicate that Reoh was stirring again, causing Nudge, Senza, Emit, and Tetra to rush into Tetra's bedroom. Link had snuck in, and even though Tetra noticed, she didn't tell him to get out, which he was grateful for. "Reeeoooohhh..."

Reoh squeezed his eyes tighter, but didn't move otherwise. "Shut up..."

"Wake up! Get a hold of yourself!" Tetra commanded impatiently, shouldering Link to the side and slamming her hands forcefully on the bed. "Be a man already!"

"Shut. Up. Goddesses, you sound like Ruto." Reoh cracked one eye above the mask, and the blue iris danced from face to face. Link held his breath. Did he recognize them? Reoh began to try and sit up, but stopped midway and flopped back onto the bedspread. "I'm tired, Ilia," Reoh moaned, "just leave me alone..."

"Ilia? Please tell me that whoever Ilia is, it's a girl," Tetra said in frustration.

Emit assured quickly, "Ilia's a girl from his village." Yet, Link could hear the exasperation in Emit's voice.

Link snorted. Well, at least Reoh-Link had gotten Tetra's gender right, if not identity. "And who the hell is Reoh, anyway?" Reoh muttered.

"Uh...you," Emit said nervously, as Senza cast a suspicious glance Emit's way.

"I'm not Reoh," Reoh growled.

So Emit lied?

Reoh continued, his eye closing again, "I'm Mido, head of the Kokiri..."

"Oh, dear Goddesses," Emit sighed. When Tetra raised a questioning eyebrow, Emit explained quickly, "Mido's not his real name, really. Mido is a young..._boy_, I suppose, from our kingdom. He's even confused himself, apparently..."

Reoh-Link opened one eye again and gazed at Link for a moment, then whispered, "Oh... Hello, Jovani."

"Who's Jovani?" Link asked immediately, turning to Emit, who looked like he was either going to cry or laugh.

"A man who sold his soul to Poes for wealth. Instead of wealth, he got turned into gold and thus was trapped in his own house for quite a while. Reoh here finally found Jovani and collected all the parts of Jovani's soul for him, which the Poes had split into many pieces, and solved Jovani's problem...although Reoh wasn't able to reunite Jovani with his girlfriend. The girl had found another man while Jovani was stuck." Reoh's single blue eye didn't move from Link's face even as Emit talked, which was odd. The last time Reoh had been hallucinating, his eyes would dart from speaker to speaker, moving to whoever happened to be talking at the time. "It wasn't really Reoh's fault that Jovani had those romance problems, but Reoh seemed to think that maybe he should have been able to help Jovani and solve that problem, too..."

"But that's unreasonable," Nudge said, crossing his arms.

"Yeah, but sometimes the mind doesn't like to let things go. It's not that easy."

"Mhmm, that's right," Reoh agreed, nodding at Emit, still not taking his eyes off Link. "Goddessdamned Poes, they were _everywhere_... But don't worry, Jovani, I'll help you get out of this fix." Link just bobbed his head uncertainly as Reoh waved a limp hand in reassurance. Finally, the blue eye moved towards Emit, then Reoh muttered, "Hey, I thought you were in the City in the Sky?"

"What?" Emit gaped, then cleared his throat and closed his eyes. "You've got...to be kidding..."

"No jokes, Ooccoo. Seriously, how come you're not up with all your Oocca friends? You spent so much time trying to get home... Oh, are you lost again?" Both of Reoh's eyes snapped open, and when Reoh tried sitting up again, he actually succeeded. "Do you not know the way back home?"

"...I'm at loss for words," Emit muttered. "He thinks I'm an Oocca..."

"What's an Oocca?" Link tugged on Emit's sleeve.

"Kind of like a Cucco, but they're more of a tan color. And their heads are like Hylians, except they're big and bald and pretty ugly."

"What's a Cuc--oh, are Cucco's those white bird things in the books that Mako has? They're extinct in the Great Sea," Link told Emit. "And what's a Hylian?"

Emit glanced at Link, his expression incredulous. "You don't know what a Hylian is, but you know who the Hero of Time is?"

"Grandma says that legends never die."

"Hmm..." Emit eyed Link, then asked, "Do you know what you are?"

"A human."

"Okay, then. Hylians are like humans. Practically the same. We'll just leave it at that," Emit said sternly, cutting off Link's next question.

Reoh glared at them, not looking like a hallucinating recovering patient at all with his focused eyes and actual ability to sit up properly. "Are you guys going to ignore me or something? And since when did you, Ooccoo, know Jovani?"

"I'm...not...Ooccoo..." Emit stressed, putting emphasis on each word.

"Really?" Reoh peered in Emit's face, then nodded. "Hm, you're right. Oocoo knew the way home. You don't." Reoh's eyes above the mask gained a glint of something that Link couldn't identify as he turned towards Link and advised, "Do what you want...but you have to know what you want in the first place. Remember that, Jovani, and learn a little something from this guy here." Reoh nodded at Emit. "Just a poor, lost little skull kid. Oh, no, skull kids have a home. They have the Lost Woods, at the very least. So you can't be that, either. So who are you?"

"I'm Emit. And what are you talking about?" Emit demanded, his eyes narrowing.

"Dunno," Reoh drawled, shrugging. "Nice name, though, _Emit_."

"Alright, that's enough." Tetra showed a rare display of heart and was actually gentle as she pushed Reoh back down onto the bed, but Reoh twitched violently at the contact anyway. Tetra ignored it. "Lie down, Reoh. You need more rest, apparently."

"No. No, he doesn't."

Tetra whipped her head around, eyebrow raised. "He's hallucinating, Emit--"

"Flaw number one," Emit began, voice soft as he looked down and seemed to be examining his feet, but Link couldn't really tell through Emit's bangs. "When a different person talked, your eyes didn't move from speaker to speaker. You remained staring at a single person." Reoh watched Emit carefully, his eyes unreadable. "Flaw number two. Although you mentioned the City in the Sky, you never mentioned Ooccoo Jr. And we both know that Ooccoo never goes anywhere without her son." Emit moved past Tetra so he was right beside the bed, and whispered, "Flaw number three. _You flinched_."

Reoh stared expressionlessly at Emit, then openly glared at Emit. "Damn."

"Correct. If you're going to lie," Emit hissed, his tone deadly, "don't get caught."

Because Link's eyes chose to blink at that moment, he almost missed it. He did, however, catch an image of Emit slamming his fist into the side of Reoh's face. Reoh's head jerked backwards and smashed into the nearby wall, as Emit turned to Senza casually and said, "I was courteous enough not to break his nose. He'll only have a nasty bruise on his cheek. And I didn't dislocate his jaw, either. I think." Senza just stared, wide-eyed. Emit faced Reoh again, but not before Link spotted the icy, controlled rage in his eyes.

"We just got him awake, and then you knock him out?" Tetra cried. Leave it to Tetra to say something like that. Normal people would be shocked that Emit had just attacked his friend, or concerned about Reoh, but no, Tetra doesn't say anything even close to that. Tetra added, "If he's out for any longer, I think I'm going to die from the smell in those sleeping quarters."

Emit waved a hand in dismissal without facing them. "Nah. He won't faint from that. If he fainted every time something like that happened to him, he'd be dead by now. He's not allowed to faint from trivial stuff like that." Emit's glare flickered back to Reoh. "I won't let him faint."

And sure enough, Reoh shook his head like a dog to clear his head, then growled and lunged at Emit. He didn't get very far, though, because Senza and Nudge immediately grabbed him and forced him back down. "What the _hell_!"

"Your life is not something to gamble with," Emit seethed, "even if it was for Link. For anybody. You deserved that."

"I'll do whatever I want!" Reoh struggled even more wildly, his mask slipping ever so slightly.

"You die," Emit said, leaning forward, "and our entire kingdom falls to twilight. Did you not think about that? No, I don't suppose you did." Emit seized Reoh's shirt collar. "Goddesses, what were you _thinking_? What would have happened to our kingdom? What would the villagers think? What would _Midna_ think?"

"Hey, Emit!" Nudge warned, pushing Emit back while still holding Reoh's arm tightly. "You don't have to be so rough on him!"

"I do," Emit said through gritted teeth. "Or it'll never get through that thick, stubborn skull of his. Now listen," Emit hissed, his anger cold and harsh, "you don't get to be self-sacrificing."

"Goddessdamned hypocrite!"

"I'm not the Hero."

"So my life weighs more than others just because I got forced into the job? What kind of messed up logic is that?" Reoh demanded. "You can't add and subtract human lives like that!"

"With you, I can. Your life equals a kingdom."

"It does not," Reoh insisted hotly.

"You see anybody else with the mark?"

Reoh said sarcastically, "_You_!"

"I'm dead. You're not getting out of it. Ordona said it all. Why do you think I gave you the name that I did?"

Reoh fell silent, eyes wide and blank in thought, then he re-erupted in anger and snarled, "_Bastard_!"

"Emit gave Reoh a name? And Emit's not dead; he's right there," Link whispered to Tetra, who shrugged, watching the entire scene carefully with sharp eyes.

Turning to Tetra, Reoh said in a drastically calmer voice, "My name's not Reoh. It's Dejiv. Emit lied, okay?"

"Oh?" Tetra crossed her arms. "Since this name argument is going just by two different people contradicting each other and there's no real way to tell, I suppose we just have to choose which one we believe more: our swabbie or our swabbie's friend." Sighing, she glanced between the two, and admitted, "Well, since you're our swabbie's friend, we should technically believe you too, but because you're going _against_ each other, it puts us in a rather odd situation... But still, it's a no-brainer."

"Swabbie," Nudge said.

"Swabbie," Senza echoed.

"Swabbie," Tetra confirmed. "No apologies, Reoh, but no hard feelings, either." She winked cheerfully.

Reoh growled, "Goddessdammit..." Then he blinked and stared at Emit. "_Swabbie_?"

"In order to get you medical help, I had to join the crew," Emit said softly, rather offhandedly, as if it weren't important. "From the rules of the crew, I will not be able to follow Link."

Link could have sworn that Reoh had turned into a statue, but his hair was still moving slightly, so Link assumed that Reoh possessed an extremely weird ability to completely freeze his body. "You're...not following Link?" Reoh repeated, staring Emit straight in the face.

"That's what I said. But that's--"

"Then you might never get back!"

"That's off topic! I did what I had to! Are you even listening to--"

Never mind," Reoh interrupted, averting his eyes, then wrenched his arm from Nudge's grip. "...I get it." Then he took a deep breath, abruptly wiping all his anger from his face as if it had never existed in the first place, before Reoh looked at Tetra and apologized in a sincere tone, "Sorry you had to listen to all that. I'm Reoh, not that you didn't already know."

"And I'm Tetra," Tetra replied, smirking at the sudden change. "Pleased to meetcha. And you don't need to apologize, really. That was the most entertaining argument I've seen since Niko challenged Gonzo's position as first-mate."

Chuckling, Reoh leaned back. "I see, I see. And you are...?" he said questioningly to Senza and Nudge.

"I'm Nudge, he's Senza," Nudge introduced, looking slightly unnerved by the sudden change in Reoh's attitude. Link, on the other hand, was _a lot_ unnerved.

"Hmm... Should I get out of your room now that I'm no longer on death's doorstep?"

Senza shook his head, his usual calm expression hiding anything else. "You should probably stay in here for at least another night and take at least one more dose."

"Oh, okay. More than fine with that. Oh man, an actual _bed_... Much more comfy than the ground, you know." Link smiled. Reoh was actually a nice guy, being rather pleasant and amiable.

"I can imagine," Tetra said dryly. "Anyway, I think I'll be going now. Nothing more for me to do in here. And if I catch anybody _eavesdropping _outside," she called pointedly towards the door, "they'll get the lovely task of cleaning out the lavatory!" Hurried movements came from beyond the door, accompanied by several grunts and muffled curses. Reoh snickered, and Tetra smiled evilly. "Pity; the outhouse won't get cleaned. Whatever. I'll just make Link do it later."

"What?" Link squeaked, outraged. "I don't wanna do that!"

"You _will_, won't you?" Tetra repeated, in a rather threatening and ominous tone.

"S-Sure."

Tetra ordered, "Emit, go back on deck. I'm concerned you two might not survive if you're in the same room." With one last cold glare at Reoh, who avoided the gaze again by staring pointedly at a picture with obviously faked interest, Emit closed the door with deliberate delicacy, as if he didn't purposely use such care, he might slam the door shut and break the door in the process.

What used to be mock curiosity on Reoh's part had turned into genuine attentiveness as he examined a small picture above Tetra's desk. "Nice picture you got there, Miss Pirate."

"They're my mother's," Tetra said. "That particular one is a drawing of an old kingdom from the legend of the Hero of Time."

"Hey! Is that the "golden power" that Grandma talks about?" Link hopped up on the chair and poked the triangles by one of the sketched people. It was the only thing colored in, so Link assumed it was important.

"Yeah. Nobody knows what it's called, though." Tetra nodded at a picture that showed three islands, forming a triangle between them. "Like with those islands. They used to be called something else, because they represented that power-thingy, but now everybody just calls them the Triangle Islands for obvious reasons." Link stared at the framed Chart, fascinated. Now he knew what it looked like! All the things he could learn off the island!

"Come to think of it..." Reoh said slowly, gazing at each picture on the walls, "you have quite a few pictures... Would that happen to be the Hero of Time himself? He fits the description of sword, tunic, and hat." He pointed up at one right by Tetra's bed.

"Yep." Tetra eyed Reoh suspiciously and asked, "How do you know about the Hero of Time?"

"Where Emit and I come from, the Hero of Time is...not very well known, but we've learned of him. His legend isn't non-existent."

"Dandy." Tetra turned sharply on her heel and marched out of the room, calling over her shoulder, "Later, Reoh."

"I don't get it," Link whispered to Tetra as the door closed behind him. "Why did Reoh pretend to be hallucinating?"

Tetra's pace was brisk as she strode quickly for the door to the deck, and Link was nearly jogging to keep up. "They probably didn't designate fake names before Reoh got sick, and therefore Reoh had to learn Emit's and Reoh's names without being too obvious. It would have worked, except they practically admitted that the names were fake later in their argument."

"Oh..." Then all of what Tetra had said sunk in, and Link exclaimed, "Eh? They really are fake names?"

Tetra shrugged. "Yeah. Emit and Reoh are most likely not their real names. I sure as hell wouldn't give my real name."

"But...but...that means that Dejiv might really be Reoh's name!"

Shaking her head, Tetra sighed, "It doesn't matter what their real names are. The true question was, do I trust my own crew?" She folded her arms behind her head, staring at the ceiling, before abruptly throwing the door wide open and stepping into the light. "And I'd like to think that I do."

Please leave a review if you like this story! And tell me if the argument was pathetic. Because I think it was. Scratch that, I know it was.


	19. Plan B

Thanks to all the people who reviewed!

Tetra's notes may be hard to understand, but honestly, who takes notes in full sentences (unless you have a computer)?

* * *

"What'd you guys do to Emit?" Reoh asked with mild curiosity. Senza raised an eyebrow as Reoh swung his legs over the edge of the bed and stood up experimentally, legs shaky, but enough to stand.

"What do you mean, 'do to Emit'?" Senza paused in measuring the next dose of medicine, which he'd been doing on Tetra's desk.

"Ehh, you know," Reoh said offhandedly, shrugging. "He's not normally that casual around people. Even while he was ranting at me, it was pretty easy to see that you guys made his 'friend' list. There's," and Reoh paused to mentally count, before continuing, "…two people on that list, other than you guys. Well, I'm not counting Darunia, Ruto, Nabooru, that group of people, nor am I including that ranch girl, because he's friendly with them and all, but not close friends."

"Miss must have been right to say that he gives his friendship with care," Senza commented.

Reoh laughed, "More or less. So really, what did you do? Because from what I know, just being nice won't get you on that list."

Senza scratched the back of his head. "…Honestly, I'm not quite sure."

"When did you see a change in his behavior?"

"A few days ago, sometime during the day…" Senza paused, then corrected, "Actually, it was the night before that."

"And what did you do right before that moment of change?" Reoh prompted, leaning forward with rapt attention.

"We were in the middle of a food fight, mostly just to annoy Miss, and when Link noticed that Emit wasn't participating, we…invited Emit to join us. Although you could also say we threatened him," Senza admitted.

Reoh stared, then began to chuckle. Senza wasn't sure if it was an innocent wry tinge, or something more bitter in there. "Wow. You guys were stabbing blindly in the dark, and you actually hit something."

"What?" Senza asked, oh-so intelligently.

You did almost the exact same thing as a close childhood friend of his, way back when they first met. Granted, she didn't 'threaten' him, as you said, but you invited him." Reoh slouched back onto the bed, poking at the covers absentmindedly. "That's probably what got him to actually decide that maybe it couldn't hurt to add a few to his friends list. Whether it was subconsciously or a conscious decision, I have no idea."

"So…just because we did something similar to this friend, he automatically likes us?"

"Something like that."

"But that's completely illogical!" Senza said, shaking his head.

Reoh's eyes smiled slightly. "Not at all. Those two friends on that list are his life. He's got romantic interest for one, and the other is his sister in all but blood. I don't think the third person really counts because their relationship is scabbed and pretty ugly. For your information, you imitated the sister friend."

Senza shook his head, preferring not to think too carefully about all this complex talk, before watching Reoh lean back on the bed with mystification. "…And you know all this about Emit how? I wouldn't think that with the relationship you two have, you'd tell each other barely anything."

"We know more about each other than we'd care to, and it wasn't our choice to learn it," Reoh murmured. "And honestly—don't tell him I said this, though," Reoh laughed harshly, "but because I know so much about him, even though I've broken his nose and he's screwed my life over, it's still a damn sight harder to hate him than I'd like."

* * *

"Forsaken Fortress will probably come into view sometime tomorrow, around night," Tetra informed Link, so quietly he could barely hear her. "Good thing, too, because sneaking into a fortress should be easier with a little cover."

Link replied, just as softly, "Okay... But that's not really the reason why I came over here to talk to you..."

"Then what was the reason?"

"I wanted to ask why you're up in the middle of the night to stake out your own room..."

"And what are you doing?"

"Getting a drink of water…but you don't look like you're getting water."

"Well, that much is obvious," Tetra scoffed, her voice still nothing more than a breath. "I'm came here because Emit got out of bed in middle of the night to talk to Reoh, so whatever they talk about is bound to be informative."

"So you're eavesdropping?"

"No, Link. I'm actually waiting for the Queen of Great Fairies to come around and give me that lollipop she owes me."

"Really?"

"It was sarcasm, you nitwit! Now be quiet! I can't hear what they're saying." Tetra pressed the side of her head to the door, and after a moment's hesitation, Link did the same. Why not? Tetra produced a paper and a pen, keeping it poised to take notes. Whoa. Tetra was serious about this, wasn't she? And wasn't she the one who had said that nobody was allowed to pry into their business because Emit was her swabbie?

"...apparently, it was a girl who has blue eyes, black hair, a 'fancy hat,' and is, supposedly, 'completely insane.'" It was Emit's voice, but then again, Link couldn't really distinguish Emit's and Reoh's voices very well. They were almost identical, except Emit's was more mature-sounding, not just in pitch, but in tone as well.

Tetra scribbled: _girl w/ blu eyes, black hair, fancy hat._

"And she tricked Cyclos into playing the Ocarina and bringing us here."

_Cyclos and ocarina, girl trick into. Brought E & R here?_

"That's right." There was a short pause, then Emit said quietly, "Are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"If you're thinking 'Stop leaning towards me like that and give me personal space,' maybe, yeah." Tetra snorted quietly, and Link smiled, even though pangs of worry squirmed under his amusement. Having grown up on Outset, the closest he'd ever gotten to disliking somebody was being shy of the Rito postman, purely because the postman appeared rather fearsome with his sharp gaze and business attitude. It bothered him, in short, to see Emit and Reoh on such bad terms with each other, especially after everything Emit had done to save Reoh.

"...Uh, no, that's not what I was thinking. Rather, I was thinking how it doesn't add up."

"It's magic. Magic is weird. Magic defies it's own laws. In fact, magic has got to be the biggest hypocrite of all time."

Tetra stared at the wooden door, before shaking her head with a disbelieving smile and writing: _Brought here w/ magic (pshh, only fairies and gods have magic)_

"But really, the Ocarina of Time doesn't...I don't know...seem like it would be capable of creating a warp cyclone that travels through time. Not to mention that if we're right, there's two timestreams and everything. Does the Ocarina of Time seem like something that could something like that?"

"...Not really."

The pen flew across the page: _Ocarina of Time. Two timestreams? Wuteva that means._ Link winced as the tip of the pen clacked loudly against the paper and the wood underneath. He was being paranoid, though, to think that Emit and Reoh might actually hear that tiny, insignificant noise.

"Exactly," Emit said. "And Cyclos only has control over wind. I don't think his control would extend all the way into another timestream. Even with the powers combined, I still think that the outcome, a cyclone that can warp through time and jump timestreams, is very unlikely."

"And your point is...?"

"That it doesn't seem to me like the Ocarina and Cyclos could have done it…by themselves. And seeing as there were only three components present at the time--Cyclos, the Ocarina of Time, and the girl--and it's improbable that the first two could have done it alone..."

"You're saying the girl has something to do with it."

During the moment of silence that followed, Link took the time to glance at Tetra, who shrugged and wrote: _girl brought E & R here w/ ocarina and Cyclos?_ It seemed that neither of them knew what in the Great Sea either one of them were talking about, so they just waited for something else to happen, so they could hear about it through the door. Maybe they'd be able to piece together what they were talking about later.

"Listen, now we've got a problem. We have to look for this person, but one of our group can't go anywhere because of that Tetra. And because he can't go anywhere, _I_ can't go anywhere!"

"...Either one of the two turned into a girl with a really high voice, or one of them's got a portable girlfriend," Tetra concluded in a whisper. Link chuckled weakly, but his eyes were wide and jaw slack. It didn't take much to figure out that neither Emit or Reoh were the speaker that time. The new speaker had a squeaky voice that was entire octaves higher than Reoh or Emit's voices.

On the paper, new words glistened as the ink dried: _squeaky voice person=__glowing pocket?_

"Whaddya mean, you can't go anywhere?" Probably Reoh that time.

"Hey, I'm in charge of this guy! Where he goes, I follow. I can't just ditch him!"

"Really," Reoh drawled, tone skeptic.

"Of course!"

On the paper, Tetra scrawled: _squeaky "in charge" of E. _There was a silence, and even though Link wasn't even in the room, Link could almost feel the awkwardness emanating from behind the door. Finally, the squeaky voice demanded, "...What?"

"Never mind," a voice sighed, and Link thought that maybe he was getting better at differentiating Emit's and Reoh's voices. He was almost certain it had been Emit. "Anyway, how do you feel?"

Reoh answered vaguely, "Better."

"You got anything more specific?"

"I'm good enough to traipse around some overrated fortress. I mean," Reoh laughed, "it's only an ugly, oversized Cucco. It's not like Ganondorf's in there or anything."

Ganondorf… It rang a bell somewhere in Link's mind, but he wasn't quite sure where he'd heard it before. It seemed pretty important to Link, but Tetra didn't note the name.

"True." Link could almost hear the shrug in Emit's voice. "...Er... You've been awfully quiet..."

"So?" a feminine, musical voice snapped.

Link's jaw dropped lower, but Tetra only rolled her eyes, breathing, "Nothing about these guys surprises me anymore. Hell, one of them could be the Hero of Time and I don't think I'd be surprised in the slightest." Link only continued to gape like a fish.

Tetra noted: _2nd girl voice. Voice like…chimes?_ After a pause, Link saw Tetra add: _Etherealish. 2nd possible explanation 4 pcket._

"Don't you have something to say? And mean, usually you're more...opinionated," Emit said slowly. "Outspoken."

_Chimey girl opinionated/outspoken._

"And because of that, I'm not allowed to stay quiet for a minute?" the musical voice huffed.

"You look like you've been thinking, though, and you looked especially intrigued about this girl and the Ocarina and Cyclos, so I'd think that--"

"I'm just as lost as you guys are, okay? I don't know how we're going to meet this girl, either."

"...Mi--"

"No! Shut! It!" the musical voice hissed, viciously cutting off what Reoh had been saying. "You don't get to talk to me!"

"Bu--"

"I can't hear you!"

"I--"

"I'm not listening!"

"Pleas--"

"I'm ignoring you until I forgive you! End of story."

"Well, how do I get you to forgive me?" Reoh asked, rather indignantly.

"Leave it," Emit whispered. "She's not going to listen. She'll forgive you eventually."

"And this is coming from the person who just told me five minutes ago that he himself would never do such a thing," Reoh muttered.

"I'm not her. I won't forgive you, but perhaps she will. We're probably angry at you for slightly different reasons, anyway." From Emit's voice, Link wouldn't be surprised if another argument broke out right here and now.

Growling, Reoh complained, "Midna, was smacking me not enough?"

"No."

"I thought you were ignoring me."

There was a very loud, sharp slapping sound. Tetra's tanned face was red from holding in laughter as she wrote: _chimey voice (Midna?) angry at R._ While Link found it pretty funny too, he couldn't help but remember what Reoh had said while he had been hallucinating (for real, Link mentally added).

_"Where's…Midna?"_

_"…I don't know. Probably where she…always is."_

_"Who's Midna?"_

_"A friend of his."_

Was everybody somehow related to Emit and Reoh unhappy?

Reoh sighed heavily. "At least the floaty light doesn't hate me..."

"That's what you think," the squeaky voice told Reoh loftily. "I wouldn't lift a wing to help you. My only concern is my ward."

Reoh groaned loudly.

"She's guarding somebody, she's got wings, and Reoh describes her as a 'floaty light,'" Tetra breathed immediately, a sly smile spreading across her face. Link was grateful she was careful to keep her voice so low that even Link, who was right next to her, could only barely make out her words. "I knew this would be worthwhile."

On the paper she scribbled: _squeaky voice guarding somebody, possibly E. "Floaty light." Has wings_. But as she wrote, the pen's noises against the paper and wood grew even louder, and the abrupt silence from behind the door was beginning to worry Link.

"Tetra…"

They weren't talking, and the silence somehow seemed more deliberate this time to Link. Upon noticing, Tetra pursed her lips, seized Link's hand and bolted away from the door with nearly soundless footsteps, darting into the bathroom. Link instinctively held his breath once inside, not because he didn't want to get caught, but because of the smell. Both children listened hard, but couldn't hear anything from outside.

Eventually, Link just began counting to a hundred, and when he reached that number, he went ahead and opened the door himself, despite Tetra's silent insists that they stay longer to be absolutely sure. Nobody was outside, and Emit had probably already gone back to the laundry/swabbie room.

Tetra turned on him and hissed, "Don't do those kinds of things! You have to be absolutely, a hundred and _ten_ percent sure that everything will go according to plan! That was stupid!"

"But we can't hide in there forever! We had to come out eventually, and that time was a good as any other!" Link whined.

"I don't like taking chances. You can't count on miracles or odds. People, maybe, just _maybe_, but definitely not miracles or gods or goddesses or whatever have you. Better safe than sorry."

Link would have argued back, but he was cut off by a large yawn. And Grandma was right, Link thought, when she said that yawns were contagious. Sure enough, Tetra barely covered up a yawn of her own, and she muttered, "Whatever. Tomorrow's a big day for you, so hurry up and get your sleep. If Emit asks, since you guys have to sleep in the same room, you were getting water. It was your original plan, anyway."

Nodding, Link whispered, "'Night, Tetra," before slinking back to the swabbie room. As he opened the door and eyed Emit leaned against the wall, most likely faking sleep, he prayed to the Goddesses that he'd be able to sleep tonight and the dark's images of Aryll wouldn't steal his sleep.

Either that, or images of the bird that had taken Aryll from him.

* * *

"There's no need," Tetra insisted. "I've got it all figured out." She jabbed her finger at the fortress, surrounded by moving sections of illuminated water due to searchlights. It was quite easy to see, especially from the crow's nest, and both Reoh and Emit surveyed it with a critical eye that spoke of plenty of experience. "All we do is put Link in a barrel, launch him straight through the window, and he's there! Right, Link?" She glanced at him, then did a double take as she noticed the expression his face.

Tetra had never so much as seen Link angry before… And now, here she was, looking at something that could almost be called...hatred.

Worried, she repeated, "Link? _Link_?"

"Huh? What?" he said, jerking and staring at her. Link had been staring off at one section of the Forsaken Fortress for a full minute now, Tetra noted, and she followed the approximate direction of his gaze. Why should she be surprised that she found that huge bird that had kidnapped his sister at the other end? "Sorry, Tetra, I didn't hear anything."

Tetra rolled her eyes, still trying to shake off the fright she'd received inside, then gave him the basic, all-in-one-sentence rundown. "You said that your sister likes seagulls, and seagulls tend to attracted to her, right? So that window is most likely the room where she's being held. Therefore, we launch you straight through the window, and you'll get your sister and get out. Easy. Right, Nudge?"

Nudge nodded dutifully, chipping in, "It'll go fine."

Link's eyes widened with a mixture of awe, fear, and excitement at the prospect of climbing into a barrel and getting launched through a tiny window half a mile away. "How do I get out?" Reoh nodded, still watching the searchlights.

Tetra told him in a tone that very neatly insulted his intelligence, "Climb up on a wall and jump off."

"How do I get back to the boat? We're way over here."

"Swim. You can avoid the searchlights," Tetra said blithely. "That's Plan A, and we're not changing it. Plan B probably won't even be necessary. So, Nudge..." And that Nudge's cue to seize Link and stuff him in the barrel, much to Emit and Reoh's surprise.

"Hey, hey, you're serious?" Reoh asked worriedly.

"Why not?" Emit muttered. "You've done it yourself with much more powerful equipment than just a catapult."

Reoh didn't look at Emit as he countered, "There was sand to land on, the goal wasn't a tiny window, and I'm not eleven. He's just a kid!"

"I did plenty of things far more dangerous than this when I was eleven," Emit pointed out. Reoh crossed his arms, but didn't argue back. Interestingly enough, Emit looked surprised at Reoh's reaction, like he'd expected Reoh to have some sort of comeback.

"Whatever. Oi! Let's get that catapult set up down there!" Tetra hollered over the side of the crow's nest.

It didn't take very long, and actually would have taken less time if Link hadn't insisted on shouting his head off from inside the barrel. "Shut it!" Tetra snapped, busy aligning the catapult's trajectory with Gonzo. "Alright, are we good?"

"Aye, Miss!"

"Never fear, kid, we're pros," Gonzo reassured Link, who didn't sound very reassured from the enclosed barrel. His muffled shouts just got louder and more blurred.

"...Senza, take the lid off. Maybe he'd stop freaking out if he's not in complete darkness," Tetra ordered. Senza popped the lid and Link poked his head up immediately, his hair even messier than it already was and his expression a fine hash of multiple emotions, still in the middle of his frantic rant.

"--and you're all completely insane and the window has got to be only two yards wide at the most and we've got to be at least a quarter mile way from the fortress and I'm going to crash into a wall and die and Aryll won't ever get rescued if that happens and you're all completely _insane_--"

"Well then," Reoh snorted, "if you do happen to smash into a wall, _don't _die, and you'll be able to rescue your sister. Simple." Tetra wasn't sure if Link could hear him through his own shouting. Sweet Nayru, Link must have lungs of steel.

"STARTING COUNTDOWN!" Tetra yelled, and Link shut up immediately. The surrounding crew tensed, getting ready to launch.

"THREE!" Looking panicked, Link gripped the edge of the barrel so tightly his fingers were white.

"TWO!" Link's face turned to determination. Atta boy.

"ONE!" Tetra grinned as Link's face turned to one of a person bracing himself for something very, very painful. Then, with a scream, Link faded into the distance as he hurtled towards the window--

"Oh shit," Tetra whispered to herself as the tiny brown and green form of Link in the barrel hit not the little golden square of light that was the window, but the wall two about two yards to the left of the window. Gonzo gaped, while Mako clapped a hand over his mouth and Nudge gasped. Senza just continued to squint, watching Link carefully. Tetra grinned weakly, eyes wide, and glanced at Emit. "The wind was stronger than I thought it was. My bad." Emit closed his eyes and Reoh ran his fingers through his hair while mumbling something to himself angrily.

"Now would be a great time for you to tell us that Plan B of yours, Miss," Emit sighed, shaking his head calmly as if this were only a minor setback, which it _bloody well was not_.

"No kidding!" Reoh gripped the railing with one hand and pointed with another. "Did you see that? Not only is he going to get a concussion, his sword flew out of the sheath! How in the name of Farore does a sword do that?" Then Reoh threw his hands up in the air and exclaimed, "No, no, twist so you can roll when you hit the ground! Don't fall headfirst, kid! That's suici--"

"He's _what_?" Tetra shrieked, seizing Zuko's telescope and watching what looked like an unconscious Link fall, as Reoh had already said, headfirst behind the main wall that surrounded the fortress. She gritted her teeth and suppressed the urge to scream at herself, barely minding it when Zuko snatched his telescope back and immediately checked it for damage even though she hadn't even done anything except use it like she was supposed to. "Well, at least he's in."

"If he's alive," Reoh added gloomily.

"Oh, stop being so pessimistic," Tetra told him calmly, but inside her heart was beating far too fast from panic and her mind running in circles. It didn't help her state of mind when Gonzo started crying, moaning about how Link was "too young to die." Tetra declared, "We've still got plan B. Never, ever go without back-up if you're not absolutely certain of victory, which is why I made sure to have a back-up."

"I wish I could live by that rule," Reoh muttered. "Every single day I'm jumping off cliffs…" Tetra ignored him and reached into her vest, pulling out a blue crystal that sat in her hand, a dull weight that didn't appear to be anything special except pretty. It had been a gift from her mother, so it had taken many hours of reminding herself that without it, Link's survival rate would probably plummet.

"What's that?" Emit asked as soon as he saw it.

"Dunno. We just call it the Pirate Stone," Nudge answered for Tetra. "Miss, did you really…?"

"I did," Tetra confirmed briskly. She rubbed the stone with her fingers, and it floated above her hand, glowing with a pale blue sheen. Inside it, she could see a tiny image of Link with multiple scratches climbing out of the water, his face showing that he had totally expected something like this. At least he'd landed in the water. She said to the stone, "Your sword landed all the way up there? Shoot! I'm sorry! I apologize! I guess my aim was off by a little bit." Link nearly jumped out of his skin, and glanced around for the mysterious voice, and Tetra grinned. "Heh heh… The look on your face… Priceless!"

Finally, Link took out the stone and Tetra ordered, "Stay put, Link, I did say I had a Plan B. I'll explain what this stone is and all that later. Just stay put."

"Wha—"

"I'll explain everything _later_." Tetra rubbed it again, and it dropped into her hand, a normal crystal once more.

"That was cool," Reoh whispered.

Tetra tossed the stone into the air and caught it. "Now, if there were multiple people in that fortress, do you think the entire group should have one stone and the ship one stone, or the group inside should have two in case they get split up? I figure the group should get two. After all, the ship can't really do anything except scout for them, and it's better to assume the worst…which would be the group getting split up."

"Probably safer if the group gets two," Senza said calmly, catching on immediately. Then he turned away, disapproving of Tetra's plan of action…but she was captain, and he wasn't.

"Multiple…" Emit repeated in disbelief. Apparently, he hadn't figured it out as swiftly as Senza had. "We're sending more people in?"

"Sure we are. I figure this is a perfect chance to send you two in there to follow him, since that's what you were doing in the first place," Tetra stated, nonchalantly twirling a single stray strand of hair around her finger, then ripping it off. Flicking it lazily off her finger, she grinned in less-than-honest delight. "I mean, since he's there with an entire fortress to navigate, we might as well send you two, right? Help him out a little, that sort of thing. And while you're helping him, you're helping yourselves. Works out nicely."

Senza commented, "Rather uncharacteristic of you, Miss, putting so many of the crew in danger. Actually putting one member in harm's way has got to be a record in itself, and putting the swabbie _and_ his friend is nothing short of a miracle."

"I know, I know," Tetra sighed. "Its stupid and risky. But hey, this is our swabbie and he's got to do this, and unfortunately there's no way to have a Plan C. I would plan one out if it were possible. And it's _two_ of the crew, Senza." Senza shook his head, as realization dawned on Nudge and Mako (and Gonzo was too busy wiping his eyes). She held up a stern hand to silence them.

"I have no idea what you're all talking about…but Emit--" Reoh started, then stopped when Tetra shook her head.

"I'm fully aware of that. And don't worry, I'll still be able to make sure that my swabbie is safe, so it's not like I'm abandoning a crew member or anything."

"What about rule number…whatever it was? Where one crew member goes, the rest go?" Emit eyed the rest of the crew nervously. "We can't put all of you in danger…"

"Nah. You don't have to put all of the crew in danger." Tetra smirked coyly as she closed one eye in her trademark wink. "Just me."

* * *

Finally we get off the damn boat! With the pirates out of the way, I can go back to my usual angstishness. And add more people to join the screwed-up squad (definitely high on my to-do list). I mean, honestly, why should the Links be the only ones to hog all the glory?

And speaking of hogging glory… That's right, OoT Link, you're getting too much attention. Move over. Twilight Princess was a decent game, too. And in OoT, Link didn't get Iron Boots that turned him into the green version of Spiderman (the coolest stuff in the game other than backflipping off Epona).


	20. Three Figures

Goal for this chapter: to be reunited with my lovely Angst. Also to make people angry for wasting three thousand or so words with filler somewhere in the middle of the chapter. And…I suppose to make the puzzle easier, because it's hard to solve a mystery with no clues. I gave you a total of ONE in this chapter, so now you have a grand total of...ONE clue to work with! And add people to the Screwed-Up Squad! No longer will it be Links only! Although they're still spotlight hoggers.

* * *

"Ughh… This is so boring… Maybe I shouldn't have come here after al—No! Don't even go there. I'm…I'm fine on my own.

"…Well, they're not doing anything, are they? The plot is still moving according to the original set-up… Oh sure, Tetra came along, so that's something new…but still nothing extremely different… My inserted actors aren't doing their job. Rats.

"Has the book even changed? It should have…

"…

"It didn't change. What the hey? Come on!

"Gah! I'm so stupid… If I insert actors that aren't supposed to be in the play, it doesn't necessarily mean they'll change anything drastically… And that's what I'm after, isn't it? Not just petty things like the scripts changing. Well, the book should change, at the very least, and mention them at least a little… So far, the only promising incident would be when they meet Ganondorf…and I'm far too lazy to wait for them to meet Ganondorf; after all, that confrontation is to be saved and savored… If only there were a fool-proof way to twist the plot, to force it so it has no other choice—

"Oh. Now _that's_ a thought.

"Hmm… If that happens, then it'll be near impossible for them to get that…that…blue thingy. Forget what it's called. And then _that_ would have to change, too…

"…putting him in extreme danger, so much…it might…even…kill…

"Fuck. Don't think like that, girl. The little shit deserves it. Both of those damn bastards.

"Yes, yes, if that happened, that would definitely fuck the plot up beyond repair. And I only have to do one thing, other than Jory's vengeance and the Mirror thing! It sounds like a plan! A damn good one, too. I'll even be able to check out all that wonderful shit they brought with them, especially those _fascinating_ artifacts… Oh, this is going to be _fun_. So now I wait and watch…

"…What time is it now?

"…

"…Never mind. Fuck."

* * *

"Right. All set, Emit?"

Emit nodded, looking cramped in the wooden barrel that smelled oddly like cheese. "Um… See you later, then."

Gonzo nodded, trying to stem his tears, and Senza smiled. "Yeah. Later."

"Just launch, before Gonzo starts crying again," Nudge whispered to Senza. Senza shrugged, the wheel spun, and Emit faded soundlessly into the night.

"Our swabbie better come back," Niko muttered gruffly. "He better keep that promise."

"If he keeps that promise," Senza sighed, "he won't ever get back to his kingdom. If that kingdom even exists, of course. All we know is that he needs to follow Link for some reason."

"Whatever it is he's doing here, he can't accomplish it trapped on our ship," said Mako, dropping his book on the ground dejectedly and plopping down on it, using it as a chair. Rather uncharacteristic of him, seeing as he never mistreated his books.

"If Emit really is our swabbie, we'd let him leave," Nudge concluded, pouting as he watched Emit land just beyond the fortress wall. Zuko hobbled up to Nudge, and tapped him on the arm.

"…You forgot rule number ten."

Nudge laughed at hearing Zuko talk for the first time, while the rest of the crew stared, bug-eyed. It was rather fitting that the first words that any of the crew had ever heard from Zuko would be so…truthful, one could call it.

"I did, didn't I."

It wasn't a question.

* * *

"Hi, kid." Link wrinkled his nose, trying to breathe through his sopping mask as he pulled himself up onto dry land. Did they have to launch the barrel right into the water? Well, it was either that, or smash into the wall like Kid-Link. And both ways, Link ended up taking a swim. The broken barrel pieces drifted aimlessly, still in the water, having shattered on impacting the water.

"Yay!" Kid-Link grinned, apparently pleased. "Er…are you going to suffocate because of that…" Kid-Link motioned towards his face.

Link shivered once from the cold water, then shook his head to whip all the water out of his hair and shrugged. "Hopefully not. I think you should stand back; Emit's still on the ship, and the splash when he arrives probably won't be small."

"That's what I said," Tetra scolded Kid-Link, "and now you're soaked because of Reoh's splash!" She twisted her hair severely around her hand, wringing out the last remnants of water.

"I was soaked to begin with," Kid-Link laughed, but the two walked halfway up the stairs and sat on the steps. Link tried to follow, but he took only two paces before the ground rushed towards him and he nearly did a face plant on the stairs. Luckily, Link caught himself with his hands on sheer reflex, his face mere inches to the gray stone floor.

He roughly pushed himself off the ground, ignoring Kid-Link and Tetra's bemused stares, and muttered, "Dammit, Midna…" There was no response from his shadow, causing him to grit his teeth and continue walking, with much more care and caution, towards Tetra.

"Doing push-ups?" Tetra mocked.

"It looked to me like he tripped," Kid-Link mused.

"But there was nothing for him to trip on!"

"It's possible to trip over your own feet. Aryll does it all the time." Kid-Link stuck his tongue out.

"But I was watching his feet, and he didn't trip over them!

"Maybe he tripped on air. Or maybe he felt like tripping."

"…Why in the Great Sea would somebody feel like tripping? It's probably because he doesn't have his land legs back."

"You wouldn't fall straight forward like that, though. It had to be that he tri--"

The argument was cut short as a barrel hurtled over the wall and smashed into the water, sending up spray that even reached Tetra and Kid-Link. Link didn't really care, because he was wet already, and Link didn't think that Kid-Link would care if he got wet even if he was dry, but Tetra complained, "Hey! My hair was just beginning to dry! Goddesses, did I really have to get born with hair that smells when it's wet with salt water? Stupid high maintenance…"

Emit-Link hauled himself out of the water, little waterfalls pouring off the folds of his clothes and hair, but instead of pausing, he sprinted straight for the barrel at the top of the stairs, picked it up, and put it over himself. It looked like a tight fit, but he seemed to be okay. Link stared at it, expression wry, then walked up to it and rapped sharply on the lid."…What the hell are you doing?"

A muffled voice floated from the barrel, "I had to put my…uh…_lantern_ in a bottle. To keep h—it dry."

"Does your lantern not appreciate this gesture?"

"Unfortunately. I need to take it out." Figures. Emit-Link couldn't exactly transfer Navi from a bottle to his pocket in front of Kid-Link or Tetra.

"…Emit and Reoh have been acting _reeeeaally _weird lately," Kid-Link whispered to Tetra, who smirked.

"Alright, men, listen up," Tetra said. She pointed at Kid-Link. "Your priority is to find your sister and to get out of this hellhole. Your priority," she pointed at the barrel that Emit-Link was still inside, "is to stick with Link no matter what. Hear that, Emit?"

"Yeah."

"Your priority," Tetra's finger moved to Link, "is to stick with them. And all of our priorities are to stay alive, to not get caught, and to get out of this place in one piece after our mission here is done. Simple."

"Then what's your priority?" Link asked.

"I'm just here as a chaperone of sorts. Emit's my swabbie, so I need to take care of him." Tetra paused, then finished, "I suppose my priority is to make sure that your priorities are taken care of. Therefore, if I get lost, assume that I'll be able to make it back to the pirate ship and keep going on without me. After all, I'm not exactly necessary."

"What?" Kid-Link and Emit-Link exclaimed, and Emit finally got out from under the barrel. Navi was nowhere to be seen, so Link assumed she was in his pocket already.

Kid-Link stomped his foot in denial. "But Tetra, we can't just _leave_ you!"

"Yes, you can. I can take care of myself. Therefore, you get this, so you two can find each other." Tetra chucked one Pirate Stone at Emit-Link, who fumbled with it before throwing it back like it was a hot coal. Tetra glared. "Take it, goddessdammit!"

"No!"

"It's an order from your captain, Emit!" Tetra hissed. She threw it again, and this time Emit-Link caught it and held it in his hand, albeit reluctantly. "That way, if you and Link get separated, you can find each other again. Alright?"

"How about we give the stones to the two people who're most likely to be in danger on this mission?" Link sighed. Could they just move already? Did Tetra really have to do all this planning to rescue one little girl?

"…It makes sense," Kid-Link agreed.

Emit-Link tossed the stone back to Tetra. "Then you should have it."

"Are you calling me weak?" Tetra growled.

"You're a girl with the long ears," Kid-Link pointed out. "The bird might steal you too if it finds you. I don't think anybody could fight against that monster."

Link moaned, "Sweet Farore, let's just get this over with! Give the stones to Link and Tetra already!"

Emit-Link eyed Link with irritation, and Link carefully avoided the gaze. "Knowing you and your knucklehead personality, maybe we should give the stone to you instead of Tetra. You'd probably do something stupid."

"Tetra and Link get the stones. Problem solved." Link couldn't look Emit-Link in the eyes anymore, it seemed, so he hurriedly retreated up the stairs, but nearly tripped again. He glared at this shadow in the dim lighting from the torches.

"Maybe Reoh's feet are too big. Or maybe because he got sick, he got clumsier or something," Kid-Link whispered to Tetra. No, Link thought to himself, rather annoyed. I just happen to have an imp from another realm in my shadow, is all. If Midna was going to start treating him like she did when they first met, Link's life was probably going to take a spiraling nose-dive into hell.

"Searchlights. That'll be a problem." Emit-Link jogged up the stairs past Link, completely trip-free. "We need to get past those without getting spotted, since stealth is probably the best plan of action right now."

Link surveyed the area. There was a large courtyard, with two spotlights prowling in what looked like a set pattern. There were stairs to their right, but where they led, Link couldn't see. Water surrounded the elevated courtyard, with two large wooden slabs blocking something nearby.

"Our goal is that tower, isn't it?" Tetra nodded at the tower with the window where the seagulls flocked around. "That door over there looks pretty close to that tower."

"But we're going to have to somehow get past all those searchlights," Link argued, shooting down the idea. "If we time it right, we might be able to run up these stairs here," he jerked his thumb at the stairs to their right, "but definitely not across this courtyard."

"Barrel!" Kid-Link giggled, running back down the stairs and lifting one over himself so it covered him. His voice floated from the barrel, "I just had a great idea 'cuz of what you did, Emit! We can use these to hide from the searchlights! When we're walking to wherever we have to go, we'll just hide in these things and then the searchlights will think it's just an empty barrel!"

"…No offense, but that's really, really improbable," Link sighed, raising an eyebrow. "Honestly, I'd think that whoever's running the searchlight up there would notice a barrel that mysteriously moves."

"That's why we don't move when the searchlight is pointed at us," Kid-Link explained in a rather "duh" kind of tone, taking the barrel off and carrying it up the stairs to where the rest of the group stood at the top, watching the searchlights.

"So even if the searchlights didn't notice a barrel that's in one spot one minute and in another spot the next," Link half-laughed, "how would we know if there's a spotlight pointing at us? We'd be _inside_ the barrel! We wouldn't be able to see anything!"

"It might be possible to direct whoever's in the barrel with the Pirate Stone," Tetra said thoughtfully.

"I really don't think that whoever's running the searchlight would be that stupid—Hey! What are you doing?" Link cried, just as Kid-Link let the barrel drop back over him and began hobbling out into the courtyard.

Tetra ground her teeth so loudly that Link could hear it clearly. "That _idiot_! What if it doesn't work?"

Kid-Link, apparently, heard what she said, and his voice shouted back, "What if it does?"

"Idiot! You--! I should--! …Gah! I suppose I have no choice... Are you heading to the stairs? You have to move more to your right or you'll hit the wall. Watch your feet for stairs in a few steps. A searchlight will reach you in four…three…" Tetra muttered into the Pirate Stone, watching one spotlight sweep closer and closer to the little walking barrel with two feet underneath it. "Two…one… Stop!" The barrel jolted to a halt, and a second later the circle of light illuminated the barrel…and nothing happened. The searchlight continued on in it's set pattern, gliding right over the stationary barrel.

"…So nobody notices that there's a barrel there that wasn't before? Even though there's a searchlight right on it?" Emit-Link asked incredulously. "This is just insanity…"

"Hey, it works," Link chuckled, watching Tetra carefully maneuver Kid-Link via the Pirate Stone. "I'm not complaining."

"The stairs will end after a few steps. Watch it," Tetra murmured. "Now turn to your right—No, your other right! I meant left! The other way, dummy!"

Emit shook his head. "Well, I suppose this is good, that this nonsensical plan actually succeeded… But now we have another problem…"

"What?"

"There's only two barrels," Emit-Link groaned. "And only two Pirate Stones."

Link quickly sketched a hypothetical scenario in his head. If Kid-Link used one barrel and Tetra another, then maybe it might be possible for one of them to come back with a barrel? No, that wouldn't work. Moreover, even though Kid-Link might be able to direct Tetra via his own Pirate Stone, Link and Emit-Link would be left with no sense of direction even if they had a barrel. No matter how Link looked at it, it would only be possible for two people to use this barrel method.

"Alright, Link's in the clear," Tetra told them, grinning in triumph, but neither Link nor Emit-Link were listening.

"We're screwed," Link stated flatly.

"…Maybe not." Emit-Link studied the spotlight's movements for a longer, then asked without looking away, "Do you think we can outrun these searchlights? Run up the stairs so fast that the searchlights won't get to us? There a break in this pattern where there's no searchlights on the stairs for quite a while."

"What?" Tetra screeched. Both males ignored her, and continued to examine the pattern the searchlights moved in with renewed interest. "That's even stupider than Link's plan! The risk you're taking could get us all caugh—"

"Here I go," Emit-Link interrupted, then sprinted in a U-turn to take the stairs four at a time. Tetra muttered several words that Link was both amused and horrified to see that an eleven-year-old even knew, let alone had the nerve to use, and watched Emit-Link's blonde head wind it's way up the sets of stairs. Finally, Emit-Link waved from the top of the stairs, not even out of breath. Any slower, and the searchlights would have caught him for sure.

"You can go next, Miss," Link offered. "Ladies first. Using the barrel, of course."

"At least you've got manners," Tetra mumbled under her breath. "Unlike those two up there."

"If they didn't go when they did, I don't think you would have ever let them." Link smiled at her as he offered the second barrel to her. "No offense, Miss, but you're way too cautious."

"Better safe than sorry."

"You're assuming we'd regret trying."

* * *

"Searchlight coming towards you, going to reach you…stop now!" Kid-Link whispered to the stone. But Tetra was a bit too slow on the uptake, and took one more step just as the edge of the light hit her barrel. The circle of light locked onto her, centering the barrel, but Tetra had already stopped moving. Link's blood literally ran cold. They'd spotted the barrel moving, just a little, and it was enough to trip the alarm like this. All the searchlights zoomed towards that barrel, but after a tense second where the searchlights stayed shining down on Tetra, they resumed their regular patterns.

"I guess whoever's running the searchlight decided that it must have been their imagination or something," Kid-Link sighed in relief.

Tetra's voice blared through the stone, "What? What just happened?"

"Er, nothing," Kid-Link assured her hastily. "Really. Okay, you can keep walking now. Just six or so feet more, and you'll be done with the second flight of stairs."

Link backed away from Kid-Link, retreating into the corridor behind them. "Navi," Link whispered, and the little blue light peeked out from his pocket. "Can you go scout and see if there's any way to shut down the searchlights?"

"I guess," Navi grumbled, zipping away. Link watched her go until the night swallowed her light. She'd always been a bit of an annoyance, really, and it hadn't helped their relationship when she'd left, but Navi could still be quite useful at times.

Finally, when Tetra joined them on the balcony above the stairs, Tetra lifted the barrel over her head with effort and grunted, "Reoh's still back there. Is it normal for him to start muttering stuff to the ground?"

He was probably trying to get Midna to listen to him. Link scratched the back of his neck uncertainly, then shrugged. "He was probably just talking to himself." Tetra snorted and discarded the barrel, and it fell with a hollow clunk.

Reoh-Link bounded up the first flight of stairs, obviously keeping an eye on the searchlights. He was halfway up the second flight when it appeared his foot glued itself to the stairs and Reoh-Link's next stride jerked to a halt in mid-leap. His face actually smashed into the stairs. "Ooh, that must have hurt," Kid-Link commented, wincing.

"That's not the problem!" Tetra began to panic. "He's going to get caught!" Reoh-Link picked himself up, face still determined with a nasty-looking bruise blossoming on his forehead and a bright red cut on his cheek, and wrenched his foot from the ground…or more specifically, his shadow. "Run faster, Reoh!" Link just pressed his lips together and glared at Reoh-Link as he resumed sprinting up the stairs. Both him and Midna were knuckleheads who gave no thought to consequences, weren't they? Just because Midna was angry at Reoh-Link for—never mind. Link could definitely relate to Midna, although he would like to think he wouldn't try such dangerous tricks.

"No, no, no," Tetra chanted as it became clear that the few seconds of delay would cost Reoh-Link his clean escape. She made to run forward, but Link snatched her arm before she took more than two steps.

"That won't help him. What would you do? Push him to make him run faster?"

Tetra whipped her head around and seethed, "I have to do _something_!"

"EEEK!" Kid-Link screeched as Reoh-Link was completely illuminated in the searchlight…but nothing happened. "Wait, what?"

Reoh-Link stopped in the middle of the steps. He glanced around in confusion, as the searchlight went right over him as if he weren't there. "That was anti-climatic," he snorted, appearing to be on the verge of laughing.

Link let go of Tetra's arm, taking a few tentative steps into the searchlight. Nothing happened, just as with Reoh-Link. Tetra threw her hands up in the air, exasperated. "So we spent all that time avoiding the searchlights to find out we won't even get caught—"

"No," Kid-Link interrupted, "because you almost got caught when you were in your barrel. You were moving a little when the searchlight was pointing at you, and all the searchlights began pointing at you. You almost tripped the alarm…"

"And Emit and Reoh are standing right in one!" Tetra rubbed her temples. "This is way too confusing."

Link glanced at Reoh-Link, who said simply, "Bokoblin."

Obviously, he was referring to the Bokoblin on Outset Island and the odd phenomenon that had occured. Link nodded in agreement. "I guess so."

"Somebody explain," Tetra demanded.

Reoh-Link immediately launched into some long-winded explanation: "Right before our banishment, we were confronting an evil witch in an attempt to slay her…" Thank the Goddesses that Link had bothered to explain what their cover story was to Reoh-Link.

But really… Was it possible for one bird with a fetish for long-eared girls to organize such a high-security fortress? This was just as hard as sneaking around the Gerudo's Fortress… And now that he thought about it, the Forsaken Fortress and the Gerudo's Fortress were both in the northwestern part of the map…

"Hey!"

His thoughts broken, Link turned around, and after taking a second to confirm that Tetra and Kid-Link was distracted by Reoh-Link's tall tales, he ducked into the corridor to talk to Navi. Navi began, "I went over to those searchlights and all that, and I took the time to take a look at that tower, too."

"Okay, shoot."

"There's three searchlight stations. One, we have to shut down, and the other two are optional." Navi buzzed angrily. "There's also a path that wraps around the tower, leading to the door to the room where the kid's sister is in, but there's some gaps in the path. It's possible to use the path, though, because there's a really thin ledge right below that window where all the seagulls are at, and it's possible to cross the gap by walking on the ledge. But I say that it's necessary to shut down at least one searchlight station, because there's a searchlight pointing right at that little ledge. So we absolutely have to shut down the one that's watching the window."

Link nodded. It was logical to station a spotlight on a window that prisoners might be able to escape through. "And how do we shut the searchlight down?"

"That's the problem…" Navi whispered. "You know how Midna's Link and Midna said that the kid didn't want to kill the Bokoblins in the forest? And how you said that the kid wasn't attacking you like he really wanted to hurt you?"

"Yeah…"

"You see, it's a Bokoblin running the searchlight up there. From the way I see it, if you can kill the monster, then the searchlight will stop running…but while that's a good thing, it's also likely that it's the only way to shut the searchlight down. Other than setting the searchlight station aflame, or something equally destructive."

"…That could be a problem."

Navi grumbled, "Normally I'd just tell you, 'Kill it yourself,' but seeing as neither you nor Midna's Link can kill any monsters in this world, I'd say get the pirate girl to do it—"

"No. I seriously doubt that this will be the last encounter the kid will have with monsters. Now is a perfect time for him to overcome that issue." Link rubbed his chin, and then asked, "Do you still remember the directions to put on that Zora Armor?"

* * *

"Wow, Mister Helmaroc King, I just noticed that your mask is pretty shiny. Is it heavy?" the pigtailed girl asked. The Helmaroc King shook his head. Maybe it had been at first, but the Helmaroc King had gotten used to it.

"What are you doing, talking to it?" a rich-looking girl hissed to the pigtailed girl. "That…monstrous…_thing_ is what kidnapped us!" The poor girl in the corner barely lifted her head so she could nod, then went back to her moping. Those two always treated the Helmaroc King with scorn.

"He's not a 'thing,'" the pigtailed girl responded hotly, while absentmindedly petting a seagull that had gotten in through the window on the head. "The Helmaroc King is a he. Not a 'thing' or an 'it.'"

If the Helmaroc King didn't have an unmoving beak, he might have done the action that humans called, "smiling." His master rarely did it, and neither did the rich girl or the poor girl, but this pigtailed girl did it a lot. That, and the odd noise they called, "laughing." Especially when she talked to him about her brother, a person she had never named and merely called, "Big Brother." Whenever the pigtailed girl talked about her brother, her eyes would light up and her joy was absolutely infectious. To the Helmaroc King, at least.

The Helmaroc King wished he could make her laugh like that… But no, that was not what he did. His duty was to do the opposite. His duty was to steal that joy. And he had, by snatching them away from their families and taking them to his master, who had imprisoned them behind those wooden bars.

The cage that bound them… He wanted to destroy it. He wanted to set them free. But he couldn't. It frustrated him. Even birds can understand frustration.

_Bird. Come._

Immediately, the Helmaroc King backed away from the cage and turned his face up the open ceiling. "Oh, you have to go?" the pigtailed girl asked, mildly surprised. She didn't need an answer—not that he could have given one—and continued, "Okay then. Come back soon!" She waved with a smile, stroking a seagull with the other. The Helmaroc King unfurled his wings and flapped hard, rising immediately into the air. Once free of the tower, he stared for a split second out to the night, then turned away.

If he gazed out to the open sky for too long, he might not be able to resist its call. And if he dared fly away, his master would slaughter the Helmarocs. And as the Helmaroc King, he could not abandon his race.

His master was waiting at the top, standing on the balcony. His master's back was facing the Helmaroc King, who hovered in the air. A covered cage sat beside his master, the dirty cloth shrouding it fluttering slightly in the breeze, and the Helmaroc King thought that if it were not pinned to the cage, it would fly off in an instant. The Helmaroc King blinked expressionlessly at his master, but inside, he felt sickening dread churning in his stomach.

"You failed to bring in a girl."

No! How did his master know of this?

"Instead, you brought in a different girl, one also possessing long ears." His master turned around, his own expression cold and uncaring. "Seeing as you have brought in a replacement, I do not think I will be able to punish you in the usual manner. But a punishment is still in order."

The Helmaroc King's only response was to blink his yellow eyes, his face incapable of displaying emotion from behind his mask. What did his master mean?

His master slowly raised a colossal hand, and with a flick of his wrist, the shroud over the cage was whipped away to be caught with the wind, and it twisted in a hypnotic spiral as it danced its way across the sky. The Helmaroc King did not see if the cloth's flight lasted long; his luminous eyes were set on the caged Helmaroc struggling behind the unforgiving bars. His master's hand glowed with purple energy, and the Helmaroc thrashed even more wildly. And the Helmaroc King merely continue to hover in the air, helpless against this man before him.

"Because you found a replacement girl, it shall be just one, instead of the usual three for the price of failure. And it shall be painless."

The Helmaroc's neck twisted to a right angle, and what had been a living Helmaroc, full of life, thudded to the cage floor, a dead feathered weight.

"Do not fail me again. You are dismissed."

The Helmaroc King bobbed his head once, then drifted down to his own nest, complete with his birthing egg. There he perched and closed his eyes, to grieve the loss of yet another of his kin. It was small comfort that two other Helmarocs had been spared because he had brought in a replacement girl, the pigtailed girl, and that the victim this time had a certainly less gorey death.

It was all his fault… He had failed the Helmarocs as their king. He was a failure. And even birds understand failure.

He opened his blank eyes and watched the white dot that was the cloth disappear, swallowed by the night. Suddenly, he thought it was the prettiest thing in the world. It should have been odd to envy a little cloth that happened to have caught the updraft when he himself had wings, but to the Helmaroc King, those magnificent wings of his were useless. He could not use them as he pleased. He might as well be a wingless Helmaroc. All the Helmarocs, now enslaved by his master, might as well be wingless.

Suddenly, the winds were taunting him as they caressed his feathers. It did not matter if the wind brought death, life, or a cursed half-life… The wind was free. He was not.

He ruffled his feathers, taking to the skies once again. He soared high over the fortress, higher than the tower, even, staring off to the dark horizon. Once he realized what he was doing, the Helmaroc King quickly diverted his gaze downwards, so he wouldn't get tempted. He would fly for comfort, but to stare at the open sea would bring nothing but unwelcome thoughts. His keen eyesight swept over the main courtyard of the fortress, trying to distract himself from the open sky that beckoned him.

And what did he see? Three figures talking on a balcony of the second level. The tall one looked to be telling a story, and the two children were listening with interest. They were all blonde, the tallest one a lean male, one of the smaller ones were a girl and one a boy. Was the boy the pigtailed girl's brother? Or maybe the tallest one? But according to his master, the Helmaroc King was not supposed to care. They were intruders, and the Helmaroc King was to report them immediately to his master.

But even if the blonde boy, either the tall one or the small one, wasn't the pigtailed girl's brother, they must be here to rescue the girls. Why else would they be here? They would do what the Helmaroc King wanted so badly to do himself…but only if they succeeded in reaching the tower. If the Helmaroc King stopped them here, the girls would continue to despair. If he let them go, the girls would be free.

The girls would be _free_.

Did he dare defy his master?

The price of failure.

The Helmaroc King stared at the trio for a moment longer, absently circling downwards in a spiral towards his perch, and then guiltily looked away, softly settling down in his nest. It had been a short flight, and he wanted to stretch his wings a bit longer, but he would much rather stay in his nest. That way, he would be able to feign sleep.

He would pretend he had never seen them.

Apparently, he did dare.

* * *

Most of this was filler, I know. The last two chapters were build-up to much more important events. But the beginning and the end weren't filler! That's good.

Now that we're off the boat, I'm happy again…and now I want to hurry up and get out of here, too… But there's so many things to do in this place! Ughhh… Seriously, this place is an absolute gold mine for…stuff! I will not specify what kind of "stuff."

Oh well. I'll have fun here.

Alright, we're at ninety reviews, and people always say to shoot high, so let's do that and try and break hundred this time! If that happens, that means there's an average of five reviews per chapter-- *GASP* Did I just do math…without somebody forcing me to? …That's history being made right there…


	21. Red Freckles

Thankies to Fiery Diamond for all the reviews!

And yes, what I called the Helmarocs are actually Kargarocs. To those who read chapter twenty before I fixed that and thought, "This person needs to get their facts straight; they're Kargarocs, not Helmarocs!" I am now aware of that. But the principle is still the same: Helmaroc King is the leader of the Kargarocs. It's Nintendo's problem that the Helmaroc King and the Kargarocs are named two different names but they're obviously of the same species…granted, one of them is bigger. A lot bigger. But still the same species.

-------------------------------------------------

It was amazing, Link thought, how long Reoh-Link could continue to spin these lies--some pretty believable blather about a witch who cast a curse on them that Link knew Reoh-Link was making up on the fly--just to keep Tetra and Kid-Link occupied. Good thing, too, because Midna was taking longer to cooperate than he'd like. But this was risky; after all, Reoh-Link didn't know that he was helping Link at the moment. "I know you can," he insisted.

"Why should I?" Midna smirked, leaning back in the air. Link dug through the magic pouches that she had conjured from Twilight, and finally closed his fingers around something he had barely touched in seven years: the Kokiri sword. He hated to part with it, but it would be easier for Link to use this than to fight the Bokoblin with hand-to-hand combat. If the kid even knew hand-to-hand combat.

"To rescue his sister. This is necessary."

"So I'll just be doing this out of the goodness of my heart, eh?" Midna giggled as she flipped somersaults. "Like hell I will."

"Listen!" Navi cried. "This is the kid's sister! Put yourself in his shoes! He doesn't want to kill any monsters, but he wants to rescue his sister. He's stuck. We _need_ you to do this."

"Get Princess to kill it. Not my business."

"The kid is destined to fight many battles, and if he is not capable of spilling a little blood, then we will not get anywhere." Link tugged at his mask; it was getting too hot for his taste. "The world may be depending on this refusal of yours."

The lone red eye stared dryly at him, silently saying, "Does this face look like it gives a damn?"

"Have you never had a sister or something? Or a brother?" Navi demanded. "We have to help him through this! Do you not get how much siblings can mean to each other?"

Midna blinked, then looked away. It was almost like she was… Link didn't really know how to describe it. Regretful, maybe? After a pause, she spat, "You've got one hour. No more. I wouldn't be able to hold the spell longer than that, anyway."

-------------------------------------------

"We should go through this door," Emit-Link said bluntly, looking rather irritated. Link eyed him carefully. Something about him just didn't really seem the same, something about his attitude… Link couldn't really place it.

"I guess. We don't really know where we're going to begin with." Tetra turned the knob and opened the door, and it opened with only a slight creak. Inside, there was a wooden platform, with a swinging rope lantern in between a platform on the other side of the room and the one they stood on. To the right, there was a second door. "Oh geez. That'll take some leaping skills if we want to get across--"

"It's a treasure chest!" Kid-Link squealed, taking a running leap at the rope with the lantern to swing across the gap. Tetra twitched, realizing that there really was a treasure chest on the other side of the gap. "Treasure!"

"H-Hey! I call whatever's in there!" Tetra yelled, taking the jump too. "Treasure's _mine_, Link! Back off!" Link and Emit-Link merely stood there, watching with mildly interested expressions.

But Kid-Link had already opened the chest, bending down to pick up whatever was inside and nearly falling into the chest in the process, seeing as the lip came up to his waist. "Treasure! It's so cool!"

"…It's a piece of paper," Tetra said in a rather disappointed tone. "And it's not even a Treasure Chart…"

"Dungeon Map," Link muttered in a bored tone. Then he did a double-take. _Dungeon Map?!_ This was a dungeon?!

So the Goddesses really did intend for Kid-Link to become the next Hero… As if Link needed more confirmation.

…But so far, this place was a rather pathetic dungeon, in Link's opinion.

"It's got a lot of squiggly lines on it. It looks like a map, but it's not a Sea Chart. What does it do?" Kid-Link asked, examining the map with squinted eyes.

"It's obviously a map of Forsaken Fortress," Tetra explained, swiping the map and holding it at arm's length, trying to figure it out too. That would have been a lot easier, Link noted, if they'd been holding it the right way up. "I can do this. I read Sea Charts all the time."

Link had seen those Sea Charts of hers, and they were nothing like Dungeon Maps. "Get back over here, and I'll show you how to use it," Link offered.

"No! I'll figure it out myself!" both kids insisted at the same time, peering at it with determined expressions. Link sighed. They might be here a long time… Better nip it at the bud. "Really, we'll be able to move through this a lot faster if you'd just give it to me. Faster we figure out the map, the faster we rescue the kid's sister and get out. Which means less chance of dying somewhere along the way." Okay, maybe Link was exaggerating when he said they had a chance of dying, but what had to be done had to be done.

Tetra held it in her teeth as she swung over with practiced ease, then swung it back over for Kid-Link to grab. She glared at the stubborn Dungeon Map, then Link, then back to the map as Kid-Link joined them with a slight stumble as he landed. Finally, she held it out in defeat, eyes narrowed begrudgingly. "I suppose I'm not getting anywhere with it—"

"I'll figure it out!" Kid-Link swiped it just as Tetra was handing it to Link. "I can do it!" Without even looking at the map, he pointed determinedly at the second door by the pots and declared, "We go that way!"

"Dandy. Let's go, troops." Emit-Link wrenched the door open and held it there for the rest. Beyond the doorway, there was an empty corridor similar to the one they'd just left.

"Shouldn't we check the map?" Link asked.

"No. Now go."

From what Link had seen from Emit-Link's memories, once Emit-Link got his hands on a Dungeon Map, he wouldn't go through a single door without checking where he was. This wasn't just a little oddity, and there was nothing to cause it, either. Kid-Link sprinted headlong through the door, and Tetra followed at a jog, but Link paused in the doorway and said, "Are you going to tell me what's going on here?"

"No. Now go." Emit-Link paused, then his eyes above the mask smiled with more than just a wicked tinge to it. "It'll get explained eventually. And unfortunately, whether you like it or not, the kid will have to grow up. You can't stop it. You're fighting a battle that's been already lost."

"I have no idea what the hell you're talking about." Link rolled his eyes, then walked through the door into the next corridor…and stopped dead in his tracks.

"See what I mean?" Emit-Link's voice whispered from behind. And now that Link was listening for it, he could definitely hear the telltale lilting of the pitch, mockingly hinting at a private joke at your expense… It gave him the creeps to hear Emit-Link's deep vocals talking like that. Ughh…

Link didn't turn around, and stared at Kid-Link's back, which was stiff from surprise. Link was sure his own was just as tense, but he smirked anyway, just to taunt back. "I thought you were ignoring me."

"Don't make me slap you again. I am ignoring you."

----------------------------------------

Link stared at Ishek with wide, wary eyes, and Ishek stared right back with a much calmer expression. Ishek stood in the middle of the corridor, barring the way just like last time, but this time with no sword and his hands behind his back, almost like a soldier.

The last time they had met, it had not been a pleasant experience for Link, and he had no wish to repeat the experience. But now…he didn't have a sword anyway! And neither did Ishek! He didn't have to fight! He barely restrained a grin. The only question was: what was Ishek doing here?

"We meet again." Ishek's blue skin looked even darker in the dim torchlight, and his eyes almost lamp-like. "You are walking the correct path. To reach the entrance to the tower your sister waits in—"

"Hold it, Blue Mystery-Man!" Tetra interrupted, shouldering Link to the side and stalking up to Ishek, who didn't move or even so much as blink. "Or is it Blue Fish-Man? Or should I have said, what are you, instead? Either way, who are you?" Tetra crossed her arms and scanned Ishek from head to foot. "Are you trying to imitate Link or something with the whole tunic and hat thing? You got the colors wrong."

Ishek stared emotionlessly at Tetra, then turned back to Link. "To reach the entrance to the tower your sister waits in, you must remain on the second level. The first level won't get you anywhere. I give this information only because it is preferred you settle this trivial matter quickly, and move onto the more urgent matters. Do not rely on my help in the future."

Tetra's face twisted up in rage, and it looked like she was ready to murder Ishek for ignoring her, but Link cut in with, "What urgent matters?" Link's face was completely serious, with not a trace of humor on it. It felt weird, because most of the time he'd been energetic and smiling for the past month.

Ishek didn't answer for a moment, his deep blue eyes locked onto Link's, completely unwavering in it's gaze. "I cannot say. These urgent matters will reveal themselves to you in due time."

"Cannot say, or will not say?" Link asked suspiciously.

"…Cannot. I admit that I do not know these matters myself, only that they will become clear with time."

"Oi, Ishek." Link whipped around to see Reoh glaring at a nearby torch, as if he had a personal vendetta against it. And just as Link did, something clicked. Emit, Reoh, and Ishek all looked similar, but Ishek having blue skin and all that. Really, the only way Link was telling Emit and Reoh apart was the slight height difference and the different clothes they wore. "The kid doesn't have to do anything if he doesn't want to. If he wants, he can grab his sister, turn, and hightail outta here."

"He cannot. It was not my decision to choose him, either. He has no say in the matter."

"So what? You're just going to resign yourself to the pre-set script?" Reoh almost, _almost_ looked Ishek in the eye, but his gaze seemed to glance off and land somewhere on the floor instead. Was Reoh scared of Ishek? Behind Reoh, Emit snorted and shook his head. "If you don't have a chance, it doesn't mean you can just give up."

"…I would agree with that statement if I had any idea what in the name of Nayru you were all talking about," Tetra interjected. "Explanation. _Now_."

"In due time," Ishek assured.

"And how come you guys know each other?" Link demanded, whipping back and forth between Reoh and Ishek.

Reoh shook his head. "Try that again when we're not on an expedition to save your sister."

"I'll remember that," Link muttered.

"You should hurry," Ishek said quietly. "Some things in this fortress are not right."

"Like what?" Tetra snapped, still angry.

"The entire place is run by monsters. The leader of this fortress, supposedly, it a huge bird. Is it really possible for the fortress to be this organized? For such tight security to be set up? Do you really think that mere Bokoblins and Moblins could set up three searchlight stations under the instruction of a bird who shouldn't even have control over them?" Ishek paused. "Not to mention that this fortress is in the northwestern corner of the map… Reoh, you should understand what is also in the northwestern corner."

"Snowpeak?" Reoh said sarcastically.

"…That's not incorrect, but not the answer I was looking for." Ishek pointed to Link's left. "There's a Bokoblin running the searchlight up the ladder."

"Bokoblin? What's that?" Link scoured his memory for any mention of a "Bokoblin," in Sturgeon's books, but to no avail.

"I suggest you see for yourself." Ishek backed away slightly, using the same hand to wave Link through the arch on the left. Link kept a careful eye on Ishek as he went through, then grabbed the rungs and hauled himself up. The wood creaked ominously, threatening to break under his weight, but he made it to the top rather quickly anyway. He poked his head up…and ducked his head back down. So _that_ was a Bokoblin. He merely hadn't been able to connect the name to the creature in the forest. He let go of the rungs, and landed with a grunt.

Link said immediately, "I don't have a sword. Sorry, Mr. Ishek. I can't fight it."

"'Course you can," Tetra scoffed. "You fought the ones in the forest, right? Yeah, you had a sword, but I've got a cutlass and a knife. We can fight it together!"

"What he means," Ishek corrected softly, "is that he can't kill it. Or rather, he _won't_ kill it."

"Yeah, I won't!" Link replied angrily, gazing out to the dark sea instead of facing Ishek. "I'll just knock it out like last time!" He listened hard for the faint lapping of the waves against the fortress walls for a moment before Ishek spoke again.

"Bokoblins will not stay unconscious for longer than ten minutes. I doubt you can get to the tower and back within ten minutes. Moreover, I can guarantee that this will not be the last time you will see Bokoblins, and I can guarantee that you will eventually be required to kill it."

"I won't kill it!" Link repeated.

"So he won't." Reoh set a supportive hand on Link's shoulder. "We'll find some other way to get rid of it. Maybe we'll tie it up, so it can't run the searchlight."

Ishek blinked with a trace of dry amusement. "Are you going to tie up every single Bokoblin Link encounters from now on?"

"If that's what it takes."

"Ever been in a room that won't let you out until all the enemies in said room are dead?"

Reoh's hand tightened abruptly. "We'll cross that bridge when we get there."

"Seeing that as of now, Link has his sister's safety as motivation, so there couldn't be a better time to overcome this obstacle. It would be easier to cross the bridge if there were some sort of other…driving force."

The nails bit into Link's shoulder, then relaxed and slipped away. Link twisted around, and it seemed from Reoh's face that Reoh couldn't come up with a counter to that, and wasn't too happy about it, either.

Ishek brought a small sword Link's size from behind his back. Ishek warned with a steely edge in his foggy voice, "Break it, damage it, dent, chip, or so much as scratch it, and…I have no idea what I'll do. _Treat it with care_." When Ishek wasn't being his usual distant self and he was even slightly irritated, Ishek absolutely terrified Link…but Link still wasn't going down without a fight, even if it was against a very, very, _very_ scary fish-man.

"I'm not going to kill it!" Link crossed his arms, refusing to take the offered sword. "I'll tie it up like Reoh said! So there!"

Ishek planted himself in the middle of the corridor. "So then. Kill it, or I don't move. I don't move, and you never rescue your sister. The only way you'll get past me now is if you kill me, too."

Link shot back, "You can't make me kill it! I'll stay here forever until you move!"

"I can make you."

Link snorted. "How?"

"Let me put it in simple terms. Since I'm not moving, it becomes either the Bokoblin or your sister."

While Link looked away, struck by the truth of the statement, Tetra huffed, "Goddesses, I'll just do it! You're such a wuss, Link." She drew her cutlass and marched towards the ladder. Link glanced at her, then snatched the sword from Ishek's hand and followed her up the ladder, meeting her at the top. Tetra glared angrily at the Bokoblin, who was oblivious to their existence, and continued to spin the wheel, thus running the searchlight. "I'll just kill it myself." Link just stood there, torn and unable to come to a decision. Reoh came up as well, slouching against a wall a little ways off, appearing to resolve to remain silent but still obviously surly.

Tetra gave one last eye-roll to Link, then slunk forward. As she neared it, the Bokoblin perked up and let go of the wheel, causing the streams of light to point towards the sky. Armed with only a stick, the Bokoblin advanced towards Tetra, hopping in erratic patterns.

"Should I elaborate on the existence of a Bokoblin? Of any monster?" Ishek's voice said, and Link spun around to see…nothing. There wasn't anything there! "Down here," the voice said dryly. Ishek's head watching from the top of the ladder, below Link's eye level, and Link mentally smacked himself for his stupidity.

"Er…sure."

"A Bokoblin," Ishek began, "is an enslaved creature. In my spare time, I collaborated with a professor, who lives near a lake where I come from, and it became clear that Bokoblins are simply another creature whose minds have been altered through dark magic. He became interested in the species, and began to hire people to take missions into secluded areas to find these creatures. He found that normally, Bokoblins, Moblins, and most other beasts are extremely shy of humans, and are rarely ever seen if they are not under some sort of control. They do fight amongst each other, but give humans their space. Which would be the most intriguing "off" fact about this place."

"Then that's even more reason to let it live!" Link cried, as Tetra batted away it's stick and it landed with a scraping clatter a few feet away from the Bokoblin. "It doesn't mean to attack people!"

"I then consulted with a few friends of mine who were magic specialists," Ishek continued, ignoring Link's outburst. "One knew more of dark magic than the other, so I especially talked with her. And from what she has told me, there is only one way to break the enslavement on the beast."

"What?" Link asked quickly. If he could get out of killing it…

"Death. Unless it dies, the curse on it will never be broken."

So much for that idea.

"And now we're back to square one: the Bokoblin, or your sister."

Link stared at the little sword he held, then at the Bokoblin, who crumpled to the floor as the flat edge of Tetra's cutlass collided with its head.

"The way I see it, you'd be doing the Bokoblin a favor," Ishek said softly. "You'd be saving it."

Reoh sighed almost mournfully, surprising Link. Link had almost forgotten that he'd been there, Reoh had been so quiet. "The color of the Hero is always so often covered with it's opposite… After all, the opposite of the color green is red. It's just so…odd, for the lack of a better word."

"Maybe the point," Ishek murmured, "was that the opposite of red is green."

---------------------------------------

That had been way too easy. Tetra held her cutlass to the Bokoblin's throat, and it thrashed underneath her. All she had to do would be to press down.

The skin was rather dry, it's feel warm and gritty under her fingers. The Bokoblin glared at her with empty eyes, struggling to get back on its feet, and she roughly shoved it back down. She could feel the Bokoblin's throat gulping, as if it knew exactly what danger it was in. She hoped it didn't, that it wasn't capable of thought, that it was just another bug to squish. But it still felt…alive…

In all her years she'd spent as a pirate, she'd never killed anything more than a fish. Her victims that she stole and cheated from were always left with mere bruises, maybe a scratch. Back then, she'd always thought that people who couldn't handle killing a monster were just overreacting, because honestly, how bad could it be? They weren't even real animals, and dangerous to boot!

Of course, she'd never been face to face with an overpowered Bokoblin before with a mission to kill it.

Press down, damnit! Tetra snapped at herself, gripping the cutlass handle tighter. Just do it!

The blade bit a little into the bony neck, and a black, thick liquid oozed out around the metal, covering it's clean silver.

Right. Now press harder.

But her body didn't move. That was as far as she would get. It was like she had hit a mental wall, a psychological barrier. The Bokoblin continued to squirm under her grip, but years of hard sailing came into play, and she held it down. Of course, years of hard sailing wouldn't give her the ability to slit one monster's throat.

"It's okay, Tetra," Link's voice told her from behind, almost cheerfully. "I've got it."

Tetra glanced back over her shoulder to see Link drawing the sword that Ishek had given him, and Ishek's head watching from the ladder. "My mission here is done," Ishek whispered, then dropped straight down. Tetra sheathed her cutlass and abandoned the Bokoblin with a sense of relief she would never admit out loud, running for the ladder. Ishek wasn't there at the bottom. Figures.

The Bokoblin leapt to it's feet, seizing it's dropped stick and spinning around to snarl at Link, who merely unlatched his shield from his back and stared back, expression calm and determined. The Bokoblin raised it's weapon and with a wild cry, slammed it down towards Link, but Link blocked it with his shield and almost careless ease. The sword whipped cleanly through the stick, half of it clattering to the floor. The Bokoblin gaped in surprise, lowering its already shabby defense.

And without hesitation, Link sunk the sword up to its hilt in the Bokoblin's bony chest. The Bokoblin's eyes rolled up in its head, and it slid off the sword with a horrible, slippery, squelching sound. It was dead before it hit the ground.

Link didn't turn around, and Tetra watched his back as he stared down at the body, the sword in his hand. There was only a smear of the blackish blood substance. "…I think I felt its ribs rubbing against the blade," was all he said. "The ribs…were very fragile."

"Oh," was all she could reply with.

He turned around, his eyes bright with clear resolve. A few flecks of the black were sprayed in thin lines on his cheeks, little holes of no color in the dark night. There were a few more speckled across his tunic. "Are you…alright?" Tetra asked uncertainly, not caring how timid she sounded right then.

And he smiled a pleasant, cheerful little grin, sweet and innocent… But there was still something she couldn't quite place, something hidden behind the smile… Tetra didn't even recognize him for a moment. He looked nothing, absolutely nothing like the Link she knew.

"Of course. This is for Aryll, anyway, and I can't be selfish."

The black dots were drying now, and Tetra was shocked to see that the black had turned to red. Somewhere in her memory, she remembered Gonzo talking about how monster's blood was always black…when it was fresh. And once it dried, it was no different from human blood, except that it's stain would only come out after hours of hard scrubbing. Link smiled again, this time slightly apologetically, then faced the Bokoblin, bowing his head and closing his eyes as if he was praying for the dead Bokoblin. The dried flecks obnoxiously glared at her from their positions on Link's cheeks, just as red as Gonzo had said they would be.

As she watched, Tetra heard Reoh mutter darkly to himself, "…That damn creepy brat…"

----------------------------------------------------

Leave it to OoT Link to be so goal-oriented and straight-forward in achieving it. Even if achieving it means being a total jerk. Well, that's just my opinion.

Leave it to TP Link to try and fail spectacularly to fight destiny, then try and fight destiny for somebody else…and fail again. I'll leave him to suffer like that for a while, then I'll get somebody to fish him out of the giant black pit of angst. If I feel like it, of course. I've got nothing against downer endings.

And finally, leave it to WW Link to weird everybody out with his creepishness. Seriously, smiling after you kill something? What the hell is wrong with you, WW Link?


	22. Removed

I'm procrastinating… Hoo boy. _Hoo_ boy. This is bad. I'm procrastinating so much that I'm not even halfway done with chapter 23! This! Is! BAD…

--

"I think it's a Moblin," Link said, sniffing the air. Yep, it definitely had that smell: a musty smell that all monsters had, but with a slight sweaty tinge to it. Link himself had never seen a Moblin outside of Emit-Link's memories, but through that, it was still quite easy to identify the distinctive odor of the Moblin.

"Probably. It has a spear and everything, although it does look more of a pig than a bulldog." Emit-Link—the real Emit-Link, as Midna and he had easily switched places when Tetra and Kid-Link weren't looking—folded his arms and waited, watching the Moblin march right by them, it's lantern clanking jovially, then pause to sniff the ground. The Moblin's spear swung wildly, and it passed through Link's leg. This was getting rather annoying, somehow.

Finally, the Moblin turned around to march in the other direction, and Link waved to Kid-Link and Tetra, who were waiting by the corner, holding the barrel. Tetra lifted it over her head, walking awkwardly forward. Keeping a careful eye on the Moblin's back and the other Moblin farther down the way, Emit-Link gently herded Tetra away from the wall that she had been in danger of bumping into. By the time the Moblin had turned around again to face Link, Tetra was already up the stairs and waiting by the huge double doors, which were the goal.

Emit-Link waited until the Moblin's back was facing them again, then easy hefted the barrel with one arm and went back over to Kid-Link, since there had been only one barrel to use. They weren't sure if the Moblin would be able to see Emit-Link carrying the barrel, but they didn't want to take any chances. And although Emit-Link himself would probably stay unseen, a floating barrel would attract attention. Obviously.

The process was very much the same: wait until the Moblin wasn't looking, give the signal, then guide whoever was in the barrel to the destination. Link sighed, leaning against the wall, finding nothing to do because Emit-Link was doing everything. Rather dull, now that they weren't in any danger of getting caught. Link might have enjoyed the challenge, however small it might have been. He reached down and picked up a small rock, chucking it half-heartedly at the Moblin's head, only for it to change course mid-flight just as Link had known it would have.

"It's a lot easier now that Emit and Reoh can help, right, Tetra?" Kid-Link commented happily as soon as he took the barrel off. The red dots hadn't come off his face yet, Link noted.

Tetra nodded, but as Kid-Link pushed open one of the double doors with a grunt, Link saw her gazing at him uncertainly. Who wouldn't feel unnerved after witnessing somebody spit a Bokoblin for the first time and act so calm about it, and with a smile, no less? Well, Link at least knew that it hadn't been a smile of happiness. But that was small comfort.

What was really freaked Link out was that it had only been a fleeting moment, gone after the tiniest moment as if it had never existed. Kid-Link acted no different afterwards, leaving the rest of the group to wonder if they hadn't simply imagined the oddities of that smile.

--

Ganondorf stood out on his balcony, watching the dark sea outside. Those damn waters that had drowned his Hyrule… The ocean that hid the Triforce of Courage from him… And somewhere out there was Princess Zelda's descendant…

He had already killed the Sages, and by doing that, he had destroyed the Master Sword as well. He was working on finding Princess Zelda's descendant, the one who held the Triforce of Wisdom. But while he could plot against the Sages and the Princess, he could not even exact revenge upon the Hero of Time's descendant, reincarnation, whatever have you. There would be no new Chosen One, another young boy destined to pit himself against the Gerudo. He knew this for fact. The previous Hero had disappeared due to some trickery on Princess Zelda's part, and thus the Triforce of Courage had been shattered and placed all over the world. The legend of the Heroes had been broken by Princess Zelda, leading to the absence of the Hero of Time, or any Hero, from Hyrule.

There would be no Hero this time to fight against the King of Evil.

…Rather regrettably…

--

Through the door, there was a staircase made of the same drab, gray stone. "Alrighty, we're almost there. Let's keep moving!" Tetra began climbing with enthusiasm, but was quickly overtaken by Kid-Link, who was bounding up the stairs with speed Link didn't know the kid possessed.

"Let'sgolet'sgolet's_go_!" Kid-Link waved for them impatiently. "We're almost to the tower! Aryll's waiting!"

"Us old people don't have as much energy as you little'uns, okay?" Link muttered, but jogged after Kid-Link anyway, followed by Emit-Link. Tetra continued climbing at the same pace, looking haughty. "Hurry up, Miss! You're too slow!" Link called back over his shoulder, half-way up the staircase.

"I'll go at whatever damn pace I want!"

"Touchy," Emit-Link noted, not resentfully, but merely stating.

Kid-Link wasn't waiting for anybody, and was already around the corner, so Link and Emit-Link hurried after him, leaving Tetra behind. She had a Pirate Stone, anyway. Eventually, there was a long stretch with another Moblin patrolling, and a single barrel. "Again?" Kid-Link whined, disappointed. "So repetitive…" Link didn't bother to point out that if Kid-Link would just use the Kokiri sword, they wouldn't have to sneak around, but Kid-Link had stuck it in his magic pouch the second they'd gotten off the searchlight station and stated he'd avoid using it if he could help it.

"Let's wait for Tetra first," Emit-Link suggested quietly as to not alert the Moblin, and he seated himself on the steps where the Moblin wouldn't see them. Link remained standing, a good distance away from Emit-Link.

Kid-Link took one glance between the two and asked innocently, "Why do you guys hate each other so much?"

"Long story," Link replied softly, staring down at his bare feet. Emit-Link nodded.

"Will you tell me later?"

What was Link supposed to say? No? But saying yes would go into so many things that he wasn't allowed to share…not that he would if he wasn't trying to hide the fact they were the Hero of Time and his reincarnation, respectively. Emit-Link seemed to following the same line of thought.

"…Maybe." And if Link did, it wouldn't be the truth. It'd be all a lie, a little scenario just to satisfy the kid. Perhaps there'd be something to do with a tournament, and the person who won the tournament would get some place of honor, and eventually it got down to the last three contestants: Emit-Link, Link, and some other guy who'd be named something random like Etera—

"Tetra really is taking a long time…" Kid-Link scuffed his feet on the ground nervously. "I'm going to go back and see what's up."

Emit-Link stood up immediately, suddenly worried as he realized exactly how long it had been since they'd last seen Tetra. "It shouldn't take this long to walk up a flight of stairs. Something's got to be wrong."

"She's probably just pulling a nasty prank on us." Link rolled his eyes. "You're both overreacting."

Kid-Link made a face. "Tetra wouldn't do that." He hopped back down the stairs, peering around the corner.

"I'm telling you, she's just hiding around the corner so she can freak us out," Link mumbled to himself. "There's no other place she'd be…"

"Is she there?" Emit-Link asked, walking up to the kid and peering around the corner with the kid, only to freeze at what he saw. Kid-Link answered anyway.

"…No."

--

Was he imagining it? Or was there really something there? It was hard to tell, and it was definitely irritating him.

Ganondorf rubbed the back of his hand, golden eyes narrowed. The Triforce of Power would only react to another Triforce piece… Was it Wisdom? Did one of the captured girls have it? But why would his Triforce react now, when even the newest one had been sitting in his cell for a month now, and the other two longer? Was it even reacting at all? Was it just his hyperactive imagination?

He'd wait for things to play out, and make his move when the time was right. And he'd do it himself. Ganondorf wouldn't trust anybody else to do it for him.

Especially not if the Triforce of Courage was involved… But then again, he didn't have to worry about the Chosen One, so what was he thinking? It must be Wisdom…

--

"What? She's gone? Just like that?" Link scratched the back of his head, spinning around on the spot frantically. And she was the one with a Triforce piece! "Did a monster get her?"

"She probably would have screamed, or at least yelled and made some noises to alert us," Emit-Link pointed out, having a much calmer reaction as he studied the surroundings with wary eyes.

Kid-Link fumbled with his little pouch under his shield, whipping out the Pirate Stone. He hastily rubbed it, and the crystal glowed blue, floating a little above his palm. "Tetra? Tetra?!" Unfortunately, they had the less powerful Pirate Stone, the one where the user only received audio. Tetra's stone was able to show a little image of the person. "Are you there?"

"I'm sorry, Tetra is a little busy at the moment. Well, no, not really. She's actually unconscious 'cause I had to knock her out to kidnap her and all, and I'm not sorry, either."

"Wha—Who are you?!" Kid-Link cried, panicking at the unfamiliar female voice broadcasted through the stone.

"You're the midget, right?" the voice asked coolly. "The short Link? This stone distorts some of the proportions when it shows images."

"…I…guess…?" Kid-Link looked wildly back at Link and Emit-Link, who shrugged, just as bewildered as he was.

"Oh, so it's Lying Piece of Shit." The voice said, "Pass the stone to Murderous Bastard, okay?" A high, evil giggle on par with Midna's echoed from the stone.

"Hey! Grandma says that those words are bad," Kid-Link scolded the mysterious voice.

"Do I give a fuck? No. Pass it to Murderous Bastard. You know him as Emit."

If this person didn't like Emit-Link, Link thought he might like her. And if he hadn't been panicking at the seemingly hostile nature of this person on the other end of the connection, he might have laughed at the odd similarities between Midna and this girl.

"Who are you?" Emit-Link demanded, seemingly completely unmoved by the insults. "Why have you taken Tetra?"

A low, guttural growl came from the stone, constrasting sharply against the giddy giggling that had been heard just a few seconds ago. "Shut up. I can't _stand_ you. Just tell me if you met Cyclos or not."

Emit-Link clenched his teeth, but that was the only fissure in his calm. "I did."

"Alright. To make a long story short, I'm the girl. And I've got the Ocarina, too. The shitty ocarina wouldn't even function properly. I had to channel the power building up in the Ocarina out of it, or it would've exploded from the build up…and to destroy such a fine specimen of magic through music would be a waste." The voice sighed mournfully. "I suppose you already figured that out, though. I wouldn't ever dare underestimate an enemy, _especially_ you."

"I'm an enemy? …No chance you'll cooperate with us?"

"Like hell I'd cooperate with _you_. Haven't you been listening to me?" Harsh, bitter cackling came from the stone. "Pass it to Reohkins now."

"R-Reohkins?" Link choked, while Emit snorted.

Kid-Link glanced at Link with confusion. "Do you know her?"

"Oh yeah, she and I go way back," Link said sarcastically.

Kid-Link somehow didn't catch the sarcasm. "Really? How long have you known her?"

"Two minutes."

"Reeeeoooohkins," the voice sang, "how is Midna dearie doing?"

Link didn't dare glance down at his shadow, in case Kid-Link might notice. "…Fine?"

"You shall have to give me the Dominion Rod sometime," the voice giggled. "Oh dear, that would definitely be fun. That, and the Spinner. And the Gale Boomerang. And the Master Sword, too. And the Zora Armor. And the Magic Armor. Hell, give me _you_, cuz you've got a piece of the Triforce and all that. Although that might take some serious operations and autopsy, and since you're the only one I like so far, I certainly don't want to kill you. Oh! and don't forget the Fused Shadows. I specifically kidnapped you after you got out of Twilight so I could take a look at the Fused Shadows." The voice got breathy with delight. "Pure, concentrated Shadow Magic! I would love to meet these mysterious Twili…or better yet, the Dark Interlopers, as Lanayru called them."

"Why should I give you my stuff? You kidnapped Tetra!" Link growled.

Emit-Link peered into the stone and said, "Exactly. Who are you? You still haven't told us why you took Tetra!"

"Fuck off, Murderous Bastard," was the only response. "But anyway. Come to the tower where Lying Piece of Shit's sister is being held, and maybe you'll see Tetra." The voice laughed wildly, then abruptly stopped. "I'll just be going now."

"Wait! Why did you take Tetra?!" Link demanded, trying to get this person to stay. After all, this person seemed to hold all the answers, which were becoming increasingly scarce nowadays.

"Because I'm bored. To see if I can change the set fate. An experiment. Something along those lines," the voice said offhandedly. "But mostly to play a little game, where—in the preferred scenario—two of you end up dead at the end and I receive multiple magical artifacts to examine. And to screw with you people, because screwing with people is fun."

"Rather morbid game," Link muttered.

"It is, isn't it? I didn't design the game, though. I can only wish I could take credit for this game." The voice paused, then continued, "Hmm, I have to now. Good-bye." And before Link could stop the voice, the connection was dropped so abruptly Emit-Link could only blink in surprise. Kid-Link tried rubbing the stone again, but nothing happened.

"Damn." Link ran his fingers through his hair. "That's the second little girl kidnapped."

"Now we've got another reason to hurry up!" Kid-Link leapt to his feet and sprinted up the stairs, disappearing within a matter of seconds.

"Wait! We shouldn't get split up! Look at what happened to Tetra!" Emit-Link yelled, running up the stairs after the kid. Link rolled his eyes, content to follow at a more comfortable pace…and thus was the only one to notice the piece of paper trapped under a rock, flapping wildly in the breeze. Link frowned and plucked it from under the rock, examining it. From the paper, a sketch of Anju smiled at him, a definite sorrowful curl in her smile. In the corner, a small black butterfly flew.

--

"Alright, show's over." The wide cat-grin disappeared abruptly from the girl's face, and she stretched, suddenly seeming tired and rather…normal. The girl removed the gag, and Tetra uttered every filthy insult she could think of, then topped the entire thing off with a nice hulking wad of spit at the girl. "Definitely princess-like," the girl commented dryly, watching Tetra struggle against the ropes that bound her.

"I'm not a goddessdamned princess!" Tetra snarled. "Do I _look_ like a princess?!"

The girl shrugged, not looking very interested in the conversation. "No, but my information source says otherwise. Of course, I've yet to see visible proof with my own eyes…"

"What information source?" demanded Tetra.

The girl waggled a finger in Tetra direction, some of the wicked enthusiasm from a second ago returning. "Nuh-uh. That's the one piece of information I will not share until I feel like it."

Tetra hissed angrily, then blinked as she realized where they were. "…We're not at the tower," Tetra said slowly, casting a glance around. It was easily identifiable as a secret cave, as Tetra had been in a few herself, but Tetra had never seen this one before. It was a large dark cavern, lit only by two torches by a stream of light that was the entrance. There were two unlit torches by a mound of dirt, and a pot of Boko sticks near the lit torches. Obviously, one was supposed to light the unlit torches with the Boko sticks, but what would happen if those torches were lit, Tetra didn't know. There were three other pots by a far wall, but Tetra didn't know what was in them.

The girl shrugged casually, shifting the bag strap on her chest. "So I lied. Now sit here and kill time. My advice for anybody who has to sit around and do nothing: learn how to draw. It turns out to be…not really fascinating, but interesting enough so one doesn't go insane with boredom. Or you can just mope around like the usual damsel in distress and wait for the hero to come and rescue you."

"What hero?" Tetra demanded.

"Oh, you know…Link. Duh. Of course, if I don't kill him off first. If that happens, I'll probably release you. I've got nothing against you, so I guess I like you. Same goes for that guy you call Reoh." The girl paused, then added, "Er… I can't really kill anybody, though. It's against the rules. I can torture them physically or emotionally, preferably emotionally, but I can only kill them if they weren't amusing to screw with at the end of the game." Rubbing her chin, the girl said in afterthought, "Maybe I'll just horribly maim him…"

"Wha—"

Brisk and business-like, the girl interrupted, "Those three pots there contain some supplies. The one on the left has assorted foods, the one in the middle is a water jug, and the one on the right is a chamber pot of sorts. I specifically enchanted them for their purposes, so you won't die." The girl glanced back at the stream of light. "I've got to go; I didn't kidnap you to miss the show. I'll be taking this," the girl held up the Pirate Stone, "and I'll give it back when I'm done examining it. Oh, and don't use the Boko sticks to light the other two torches. I think you'd regret it."

That would only pique Tetra's curiosity, but Tetra was a little more concerned with something else the girl had said. "Why are you trying to kill Link? And Emit? You don't even know them!"

"Girly, I know enough about them to hate them," the girl seethed, suddenly emanating rage as her blue eyes narrowed and hat brim trembled angrily.

"You've got no reason!" Tetra cried, ignoring the change in mood as she struggled harder, but the ropes just bit into her wrists and gave her rope burn. Well, they were loosening, at least. The girl had tied them so they would fall apart eventually…just not now.

"Of course I do," the girl muttered as she entered the stream of light, leaving Tetra behind. "One's a murderous bastard, as I said, and the other is a brother. That's plenty reason." The girl floated upwards, and as soon as she did, the light vanished and the hole, the entrance, the _goddessdamned way out_ vanished, plunging Tetra into darkness.

--

Okay, okay, I'm all done setting up. Well, no, not really, I think I still have something else to do in Forsaken Fortress and plenty at Windfall, but Sati's bit in the preparations is done. She's taking a break. I have no more use for her until much later, seeing as the effects of her interference certainly does not require her to be present.

Yeah, if you haven't noticed, I'm not going to be discreet anymore with Sati. And I find it pretty funny that I've already released enough information for Sati's identity to be figured out. Granted, there'd be plenty of holes, and half might still not be uncovered, but at least half is already quite available. Because of one word, too… That's what really cracks me up.

I'll award a virtual cookie to the person who figures out where Tetra is being hidden. It's not hard, actually.


	23. Helpless

Hey, guys, I hope you're not mad with me for updating so late…

I'm getting the feeling I'm walking off the cliff, mostly because where I decided I'll go is way down in the deep, dark, ominous-looking gorge or something like that. And on top of that, this chapter could have turned out way better. I don't like this chapter even more than chapter eighteen.

Anyway, I really, really want to change my pen name to Cheesewax Destiny now.

--

"If you do that ever time you kill something, you're going to be doing that a lot," Reoh-Link commented, watching Kid-Link do what now seemed to be his little funeral ritual over the dead green Bokoblin. Kid-Link would close his eyes and bow his head slightly, just for a second, before resuming whatever he had been doing as if that little freeze in his actions had never happened. Link didn't really mind, being more concerned with the wooden latch on the tower door that had just lifted.

"It's okay, I don't mind it." Kid-Link lifted his head and examined the door latch. "How does it do that? Is it magic?"

"I suppose," Link said, making a move to push the door open.

"Wait!" Kid-Link peered at the door with growing curiosity. "Then how does the magic do that?"

What kind of question what that? Magic was magic. "I don't know. But I find it just better not to question magic and simply accept it." Link pushed it open with some effort, and the huge door swung in slightly with a squeak, letting golden light flood out. "And does it matter? We have to find Tetra."

"It does to me. But yeah, we have to find Tetra and Aryll, so I guess we have to keep moving..." A flicker of resentful disappointment flickered on Kid-Link's face as he sidled through the door, looking tense and clutching his sword—his own sword, not the Kokiri sword. Link would have to find a way to get that one back soon without arousing suspicion.

The inside of the tower was circular, with gray stone walls, just as everything else in the fortress. Winding wooden ramps lined the insides, leading upwards to the open air ceiling, and small bright torches that flickered merrily on the walls lit the tower. A wooden grate was in the middle of the floor, but for what purpose, Link didn't know. Kid-Link glanced around in awe, while Reoh-Link surveyed the area critically with detached interest, and Link began panicking upon noticing that Tetra wasn't here. The girl had tricked them! Tetra had a piece of the Triforce, she was necessary… Everything was just spinning out of control.

Kid-Link squinted towards a large wooden cage with thick bars, just as the small blonde figure looked up from the seagull she had been petting. Aryll gasped and grinned wide as she saw her brother, causing two other girls behind her to spin around and stare, obviously surprised. Kid-Link smiled back and sighed in relief, cheerfully trotting down the ramp to meet his sister while Reoh-Link just crossed his arms and stayed by the door. Link didn't move either, still looking for any sign of the lost pirate and disbelieving that it could just be that easy…

It seemed that Link heard it first, then Reoh-Link, who stiffened and glared suspiciously around the tower. They couldn't exactly be sure if it wasn't just their overreactive imagination, since it was so faint, but it was enough to set Link on edge and move closer to the kid just in case. Finally, Kid-Link paused somewhere before the wooden grate, squinting his eyes in suspicion, listening hard for something. Link could definitely hear it now: the faint flapping of wings.

Reoh-Link yelled, "Kid! Get back!" just as Link, who was much closer to the kid, seized Kid-Link's collar and wrenched him backwards. A second later, the huge beast landed with a crash that rattled Link's teeth. Navi buzzed nervously in his pocket. Link did the calculations in a second: perhaps Link would be able to take down the bird…but he couldn't fight enemies, leaving defense up to Kid-Link, who would be no match for the monster. Kid-Link stared up in shock at the bird, his face slowly slipping into an angry scowl as he stood his ground, his left hand drifting upwards as if to draw his sword.

Obviously, Kid-Link wasn't going to let any squeamish emotions concerning killing enemies get in the way of satisfying a revenge wish.

Revenge could definitely drive people to insanity, and Link knew from brief moments of experience how driving it could be and that those kinds of emotions were better off avoided, but right now he was mainly concerned with the survival rate of the kid. He dragged Kid-Link back immediately, helped by Reoh-Link, but Kid-Link continued to stare at the huge bird and hardly noticing the other two who were pulling him away from his sister and the bird. The bird stared right back, its large blank eyes unblinking.

Reoh-Link and Link each held one of the kid's arms, watching the bird warily in panic. What were they supposed to do?! A feeling of helplessness washed over Link. He couldn't do _anything_. And what he did do, he could never do right… No! This wasn't the time for that! He needed to somehow get rid of the bird. Think, think, what could he do—

With a yell, Reoh-Link was ripped from the kid's arm and pulled backwards out of Link's peripheral vision, and Link couldn't comprehend what had happened for a second. One minute, Reoh-Link was there, and the next, he was being violently jerked backwards. Link spun around, alarmed, to see Reoh-Link several feet off the ground, held by his arm…

…by _him._

A million thoughts exploded into Link's head, rendering him immobile as he stared at the figure before him. It almost was like he had gone deaf, and all sounds began to get tuned out. Why was he here? Reoh-Link was struggling, people were talking, but Link wasn't paying attention. What was going on? Kid-Link was saying something now, and now Midna was threatening with the Fused Shadows. How did he survive Hyrule's fall? It was all so confusing, and things were moving too fast.

But in the end, as he watched Reoh-Link struggle against the grip, all his fumbling thoughts converged into: This is the man who destroyed Hyrule.

--

Link didn't care how stupid he seemed, he wanted the guy who was lifting him clear off the ground to goddessdamned _let his arm go_! He didn't even know who the guy was, all he knew was that this was freaky and it wasn't doing much to keep his already jumpy nerves calm. It was mostly just a reflex that he was thrashing and trying to pry the thick fingers off his arm, which suddenly felt thin and fragile against this man. Already, it felt like his right arm was going to pop clear out of his socket.

"You… Is it you who has a piece…?"

Piece? It made a direct connection to the words _Mirror Shard, Fused Shadows,_ and _Triforce_, all of which definitely got Link's attention easily. He stopped moving, save for a slight sway as Link hung by his arm, and peered back at the face that studied him with matching curiosity. At first, Link didn't recognize the green skin, the golden eyes, and the flaming orange hair, seeing as this man didn't belong to his own memories, but soon enough, he remembered the face from Emit-Link's experience. Sure, he was wearing a large robe instead of the black armor and cape, and clearly a lot bigger with a few more lines on his face, but he was still easily identifiable.

The huge man that was examining him was Ganondorf himself.

"Oh Goddesses," Link breathed, as Ganondorf eyed Link's right hand that was now limp in the Gerudo's grip, probably looking for the mark. Link's left hand clenched, grateful that Emit-Link had thought to wrap that hand in bandages…not that he'd ever tell him that.

"I can feel…something," Ganondorf muttered, his narrowed eyes boring into Link's widened ones. "I can feel it… It is you that I felt…?" Link began to thrash wildly again, desperate to get away as he growled through his teeth, but still nothing.

"Let him go!" Link glanced down, feeling suddenly very high up in the air, and spotted Kid-Link pointing at Ganondorf with impudence that could only come from ignorance. Kid-Link cried with almost comical righteousness, "It's rude to pick people like that!"

Telling Ganondorf, the King of Evil, that what he was doing was _rude_…

But Link took that opportunity to try and catch Ganondorf off guard and immediately lashed out at the Gerudo's face with his left hand, only for Ganondorf to seize it inches from his oversized nose and wrangle Link's arm—embarassingly easily—to a position where Ganondorf could see the back of the hand. One thick eyebrow twitched at the sight of the bandages. If only Emit-Link hadn't given the Master Sword to Midna!

"The left hand…is covered…" Ganondorf stared long and hard at Link's left hand, only causing Link to struggle harder. A smirk grew on Ganondorf's lips, and Link could understand firsthand exactly what Ganondorf's deal was from that one smile: Ganondorf was the type of greedy bastard who would never be satisfied with what he had. The grin was like a hungry beast as Ganondorf observed Link's bandaged hand, already knowing what was underneath it.

Saying, "This is bad," would be such a gross understatement it would be almost funny. Almost.

"Put him down!" Kid-Link shouted. Ganondorf only ignored the kid, but the hungry grin faded a little.

"Link, stop!" a voice cried, and Link remembered that the kid's sister was still in the cage, watching everything. She seemed positively horrified by her brother's bold actions. "Get away from that man! He's dangerous!"

"It's okay, girly, I'll take care of everything," a voice seethed, and Link's eyes widened even further to see Midna hovering behind Ganondorf, looking ready to kill, Fused Shadows at the ready and circling her. Kid-Link's eyes nearly popped out of their sockets, and his mouth hung open. She snarled viciously, "Oi, big fat man, that wolf-boy you're holding there is _my_ prey! He's _my_ servant! I won't let anybody touch him, because I'm going to kill him myself! …I just need to find the right time."

"No! Midna!" Link yelled, struggling harder. His arm was seriously starting to hurt, and it was positively excruciating with the extra movement, but Link wasn't going to let Midna use those things. It was far too dangerous for her!

"Stand down, Midna." Emit-Link spoke up finally, and Link twisted around as best as he could to look back at him. "This is Ganondorf. I don't think even your Fused Shadows would last against him."

"Oh? So the famous Ganondorf is actually the big fat man?" Midna sneered. "Then let's hope that my ancestors were really just as great as the stories say and the Fused Shadows will hold out." Ganondorf didn't so much as twitch at the sight of Emit-Link…which was odd…

--

"Ganondorf!" Link hissed, but Ganondorf didn't even move, causing anger to roil in Link's gut like he hadn't felt since seven years ago. Everything was still, even Reoh-Link, who seemed to be steeling himself.

It was Ganondorf's fault that Hyrule was gone. The very same Hyrule that Link had fought for against Ganondorf to prevent that very disappearance, and here was Ganondorf, who wouldn't even look at him… Why wouldn't Ganondorf acknowledge him? Link was, after all, the very person who had led the Zelda and the Sages to seal Ganondorf in the Dark Realm for centuries…

Please tell him it wasn't because…

"_GANONDORF_!" Link roared, frightened at that last thought, desperate to prove it wrong, bound together with a surge of anger that scared even Link.

The giant bird twitched sharply, mirroring everybody else's reactions. "T-That's rude too!" Kid-Link admonished Ganondorf, voice shaky despite the upbeat tone he used. "Ignoring people who are, um, talking to you!"

Ganondorf blinked and glanced downwards at Kid-Link. His deep, gravelly voice scoffed, "What are you talking about?"

…No… Please, dear Farore…

"Right there," Kid-Link pointed at Link, who stood still except for his left hand trembling slightly, eyes fixed on Ganondorf's face. "That's Emit." Ganondorf glanced briefly towards Link, his eyes never focusing on Link, then shook Reoh-Link roughly and harshly chuckled at Kid-Link.

"Foolish boy. There's nobody there."

That was it, then. Link wouldn't be able to do a thing against Ganondorf. Once again, Link was just as helpless to stop Ganondorf as if Link were never here in the first place. Link's knees hit the stone floor hard as Ganondorf turned away.

Some Hero he was, Link thought, as he stared at Ganondorf and knew that unlike the last time Link had fought for Hyrule with the King of Evil, Link wouldn't be able to do anything.

_Failurefailurefailurefailurefailure—_

--

The little kid scooted nervously to a spot somewhere by the wooden grate and kneeled down, peering at thin air, dangerously close to the Helmaroc King but not seeming to care. Ganondorf raised an eyebrow, but told himself that he would contemplate this odd behavior after. Triforce was priority. The masked youth started struggling again, and while the attempts were admittedly strong, it wasn't strong enough. At least Ganondorf could give him credit for not demanding that Ganondorf put him down, because Ganondorf would not do that.

Ganondorf decided that the cage with the girls would be enough to keep the boy until he found the third Triforce piece to complete the Triforce, but as soon as he made to move towards the cage, the imp jerked and focused on Ganondorf again, getting ready to use her weapons.

"Midna, stay out of this!" the masked youth commanded, and the imp snorted, twirling the magical artifacts faster.

"Who are you to boss me around? I'll do what I want, and if I see fit to take a test run on Mr. Fatty, I will."

The masked youth had no answer to that, but when he tugged desperately at Ganondorf's fingers again, the effort was obviously stronger and more frantic. Evidently, the masked youth didn't want the imp to use those items they called the Fused Shadows. Perhaps he had no reason to panic, because while the imp's eyes were determined, Ganondorf could almost see the cogs working in her head and could nearly hear the doubtful thoughts whether or not she should use them, if it would really be the best choice. She was hesitating, afraid of her own power. The fool.

The mask was coming askew, and one cheek and half of his nose began to show. Ganondorf frowned; where had he seen this boy before? But no matter. All that mattered was that Ganondorf was one step closer to achieving his goal—

Hang on. The Triforce of Wisdom was always passed down to the female descendant of the Royal Family, and the Royal Family had nearly a high of a chance of producing a female in birth as a Gerudo… A male Royal Family member very unlikely, and most men were simply married into the family. Males never inherited the Triforce of Wisdom anyway, and it was always given to the next princess, who would always be called Zelda by tradition.

Which would mean that this boy most likely possessed…

And then it clicked.

So that was where Ganondorf had seen this boy!

"You!" Ganondorf growled, glaring with hatred that threatening to break free at the masked youth, who stopped struggling and stared back in confusion. Ganondorf's grip tightened, and the masked youth winced. Rage and confusion that had smoldered dormant for centuries burst into flame, incinerating all other thoughts of his goal—or any rational thought, for that matter—and Ganondorf snarled, "You… You are the Hero of Ti—!"

And that was when the masked youth vanished, and Ganondorf's hand clutched only empty air.

--

Link crumpled to the ground, bruising his knee badly against the stone floor. Had Ganondorf let him go? Why? What was going on? Above him, Ganondorf stared angrily at his empty hand.

"What—?" Ganondorf glanced about in confusion and frustration, his voice volume rising rapidly to vicious bellows. "Where are you?!"

Right in front of you, Link answered in his head, utterly bewildered. But still, Link didn't bother responding, instead seizing Midna's arm and sprinting for the other side of the room, narrowly avoiding the scaled talon of the giant bird, who didn't really seem to be concerned with attacking them and content to watch and wait. If he got caught again, Midna might actually use the Fused Shadows. "Let go of me!" Midna's stuck her tongue out impudently, the Fused Shadows disappearing.

Link hissed, "Don't ever do that! Don't do that ever again!"

"Do what?" she asked with mock innocence.

"Use the Fused Shadows to save me!"

"Use the Fused Shadows to save _you_?" Midna scoffed. "If I were talking to you, I'd ask you why the hell I'd ever use those things to save _your_ ass. Your shadow was only getting stuffy and I thought it might be fun to play with the fugly fat guy, is all." Then she slipped into his shadow, and Link grit his teeth before turning to see Ganondorf glaring at his hand.

"…Why?!" The hand clenched viciously, and Link stared. "How did he disappear…?"

I disappeared? Link wondered. But I'm right here…

Ganondorf looked like he was going to lose his superior attitude and blow his cool, so Link wanted to hurry up and figure out whether or not to attack Ganondorf like he was supposed to as a Hero or run for—Wait. If Ganondorf couldn't see Emit-Link, and Link had suddenly turned invisible or something, then they probably wouldn't be able to attack Ganondorf anyway, just like the Moblins and Bokoblins…

Link was fine with that, actually, but it was obvious from the way Emit-Link glared hopelessly at Ganondorf, ignoring Kid-Link's concerned questions, that Emit-Link wasn't.

But Link had made up his mind by now: they were all getting the hell out of here. They just needed to rescue the kid's sister, and they'd be gone…but Link only had until Ganondorf's head cleared of the bottled rage that had accumulated towards the Hero of Time and he realized that he could probably sense where Link was using the Triforce of Power and Link's Triforce piece.

Ganondorf stopped glaring around in confusion, looking for Link, and stood completely still. What that meant, Link didn't know, but it couldn't be good. If it had anything to do with Ganondorf, it couldn't be good.

Link crept back past the giant bird, but not really expecting the bird to attack anymore, and tapped Kid-Link on the shoulder. "Oi! Kid!" Kid-Link glanced up, face drawn with worry.

"Emit doesn't look happy…"

"Yeah, no joke," Link whispered, glancing at Emit-Link. Emit-Link hadn't even moved, still kneeling on the ground with his face vacant. Maybe it was some sort of shock mode. Maybe Emit-Link decided it wasn't worth moving, because even if they did move, they wouldn't be able to do anything against the huge threat right in front of them. "Look, kid, we have to get your sister and get out of here. No, never mind the bird, I know what you're thinking," Link added hastily, spotting Kid-Link glance towards the giant bird. "Just—"

"Helmaroc King, get rid of him," Ganondorf commanded suddenly, pointing towards Kid-Link, his face once again carefully controlled. "I…do not wish to see him any longer." The giant bird called the Helmaroc King bobbed its head once, and Ganondorf's face flickered with rage before going back to its usual expressionless state as he rose straight into the air to leave the tower through the open ceiling.

Link wasn't really surprised, having already known that Ganondorf could fly, as cheesy as it sounded, but Kid-Link gaped and whispered, "Cooool…" Emit-Link blinked, but didn't move otherwise. Maybe it wasn't shock mode, then.

The Helmaroc King approached awkwardly, walking forward two steps with its oversized talons, and Kid-Link yelled something in surprise and drew his sword. Link tensed, staring into the bird's eyes.

"Helmaroc King!" Aryll shouted from the cage. "Stop!"

But the Helmaroc King didn't stop. Emit-Link abruptly sprung back to life and dove out of the way, while Link had to pull Kid-Link out of the way as the Helmaroc King's beak pecked at their group. "I'll try to get that cage open!" Link yelled, and Kid-Link nodded. "Don't let the bird get you!" Kid-Link nodded again, green eyes glaring venomously at the Helmaroc King, who looked back without emotion. Link sprinted for the cage, and Aryll gazed at him with wide eyes.

"Are you helping my brother?" she demanded. Link nodded frantically, fumbling with the lock on the door. "Then—AAAAHH!" Link jumped and whipped around to look at what she was pointing at.

"Goddessdamnit, kid!" Link yelled above Kid-Link's snarling. "You couldn't stay out of trouble to two minutes, could you?!"

"Put me down!" Kid-Link shrieked. The Helmaroc King simply took off, flapping straight up through the ceiling before Link could do anything. Kid-Link screeched, flailing his arms in panic.

Link gritted his teeth. "High maintenance brat… Listen," Link told the girls in the cage, "I'll come back after I rescue that kid. Just wait here!"

"Take care of my brother, alright?" Aryll pleaded. "I don't know what's going on, but I know that you have to protect Link! Keep him safe! Don't let anybody hurt him!"

Link paused as Emit-Link sprinted up the platforms on the tower walls, then replied, "Already on it, little Miss."

--

Ganondorf's hand trembled with barely restrained emotion as he closed the door as softly as he could, but still nearly cracked the door anyway. Stay calm, stay calm, he had to analyze the situation and—

No. He simply wasn't in the mood for such pretense anymore.

--

Now what? Link asked himself. Here he was, watching the Helmaroc King who held a struggling Kid-Link in its beak, and he had no way to get the bird to let go of the kid. He didn't have a single weapon! Not only that, the Helmaroc King wasn't even on the ground, preferring to hover a good fifty feet away from the tower. Should he try to reason with it? No, the bird was probably just another mindless creature. Of course, that was assuming that the Helmaroc King could see him at all… The very thought made Link clench his fists tighter.

Kid-Link hammered his fist repeatedly against the beak, forgetting that he had a sword on his back. "Lemme go!"

The Helmaroc King's response? With a flick of his neck, Kid-Link was sent flying into the night sky with a drawn-out scream.

Eyes widening, Link didn't scream himself, but he wanted to, despite the fact that it wouldn't do anything. This helplessness, being forced to watch all the events unfold before him without ability to intervene, was torture. Now Kid-Link, the person who would become the next Hero and do what Link could not, was probably dead, and if he survived, Link would never see him again. It would be impossible to find the kid again in this vast ocean.

"Well, that's bad," a voice from behind muttered, and Link glanced over his shoulder to see Reoh-Link nearly bent double and breathing hard. Link was rather surprised that he'd gotten up here so fast, and surmised that he'd sprinted as fast as he could to catch up.

"Listen! This isn't bad, this is horrible!" Navi floated out of his pocket, her glow far brighter than it should have been with her panic. "We just lost the next Hero! _And we can't do anything about it_!"

Navi had hit it dead on. Link had always known that if you wanted something done, you needed to do something about it, but now Link was incapable of doing anything! He itched to do…something! Anything!

The Helmaroc King landed on the tower roof with a jarring thud, and Link realized that the bird was clearly capable of seeing them as it's yellow eyes focused on him. This meant they'd be able to kill it, which would have been great, but since Kid-Link was gone there wasn't any point of fighting the bird. The beak swung down, and Link easily hopped out of the way, while Reoh-Link rolled his eyes and had the nerve to take a single step to the side to avoid the attack. The Helmaroc King reared its head back and snatched at Link, but he simply moved out of the way again, Navi following easily. What was the point of fighting the bird anymore?

Then, right in the middle of Link's wondering, the Helmaroc King stopped and simply stared at them. Link didn't let his guard down, though, and stared right back. If anything, these actions just made everything that much more suspicious.

The Helmaroc King brought his head down a little to it's left, then sharply flicked it back to it's upper right. Seeing Link's embarrassingly obvious irritation at the vague sign language, the bird repeated the motion, then jerked it's beak at the two Hylians. It seemed to be mimicking the motion it had done to throw Kid-Link, so coupled with the jabs towards them… The bird was _offering_ to throw them?! It seemed that the bird was trustworthy, seeing as it had only thrown the kid when told to "get rid" of him, and the bird hadn't attacked at all until ordered.

"…He looks alright to me," Reoh-Link commented. "And I've spent my entire life with animals 'nd all, and lately I've been able to even talk to them… Yeah, he seems pretty honest." The bird nodded, almost hopefully. Hope flared in Link. The kid was the key to everything, and here was a way to get him back… It didn't even occur to Link that he was trusting the very person he should never trust, under any circumstances, and a bird that has proven to work for Ganondorf, the other person he should never trust.

Link brought the bottle back out, held it out for Navi, and nodded to the Helmaroc King despite Navi's grumbling. He didn't dare remind himself that by doing this, he would be leaving Ganondorf to plot in this fortress. He wouldn't be able to do anything if he stayed here, anyway.

"Shouldn't we rescue the kid's sister first?" Reoh-Link asked, glancing uncertainly back down into the tower.

"No," Link growled, and mysteriously, Reoh-Link didn't argue. It was cruel, Link knew, to do such a thing, but the kid might not agree to become the Hero if he didn't have an incentive, and Link needed the kid to accomplish what Link had failed to do.

The only way he would be able to do anything would be to use the kid…

--

A polished drawer over there, tidy cabinet over here, the few possessions placed carefully in their spots within the cabinet, only one or two of any real monetary value. Several empty bottles for various uses were lined in orderly rows on a nearby table. A woven rug of traditional Gerudo style graced the floor, clean and dust-free, the only item from Ganondorf's homeland that had been intact and salvageable from the remains of Hyrule. The room was sparse and organized, much like the typical Gerudo room.

The cabin had a neat look to it, designed that way for efficiency, but now Ganondorf decided it was _too_ neat.

--

The bird had good aim, the King thought. It was nothing short of amazing that the bird could land each person within a mile of each other, considering the vastness of this sea. And it was fortunate they were relatively close to Windfall, as the King wouldn't be able to do anything more than cruise, which he was doing now in an attempt to find each member of the infiltration party. "Do you see anything?" the King asked quietly.

The young man behind the King riding in the cockpit answered tersely. "No."

His attitude was rather stiff and unwelcoming, but the King decided that it must be from the cold. It was quite understandable that one with a living body should be cold if drenched with ocean water in the middle of the night. The King had long forgotten exactly what cold felt like, but he remembered that the sensation could very easily bring up annoyance.

"What is your name?" the King said, glancing backwards.

"Emit."

There was another long silence, broken only by the lapping of waves and the whistling wind. Behind the King, Emit finally began moving again, and the sound of a cork being popped was unnaturally loud in the night. The King twisted his wooden neck around again, only to find a puzzling image of Emit peering into a small bottle that was wrapped haphazardly with a section of his shirt. Was it the King's imagination, or was there a faint blue light leaking through the cloth? Was Emit trying to cover up this mysterious light? Then Emit gently pushed the cork back in, readjusted his dripping mask, and stared back out into the night. Perhaps Emit simply wasn't one to talk, the King reassured himself. And probably Emit had good reasons for his peculiar actions, and would reveal those reasons in time…

"Over there," Emit murmured, pointing off to starboard. A faint red-orange smudge was visible against the silver tips of the waves, and one of the King's wooden eyebrows twitched. Orange? None of the people launched into Forsaken Fortress had so much as a spot of orange on them.

By the time they were near enough to make out the body floating half-submerged in the water, it was obvious that there was no orange. Emit didn't seem to notice, reached over, and roughly hauled the body into the cockpit, letting it thud with a wet splat to the floor. "That's Reoh," Emit explained shortly, then returned his gaze to the ocean. "One more to go."

Yes, that had been nagging at the King. "Only one? I thought the pirate Tetra came with you."

"She…got separated. Hard to explain."

"Is she still within the fortress?" the King exclaimed, worried. That would be disastrous if Ganon got his hands on Tetra…

"No. At least, I think. I'll explain later. Let's hurry up and find the kid."

Yes, the boy was of utmost importance, especially for the King. He had no living body, did not have the means to carry out his plan for Ganon's downfall…but the boy did.

The only way he would be able to do anything would be to use the kid…

--

The remains of a drawer over there, splintered and shattered beyond recognition, a smoldering heap of what had been a cabinet over here, the few possessions mercilessly destroyed. The bottles were mere fragments of colored glass glinting in the firelight, strewn across the wooden floor in sprays. The rug was the only item spared, rolled up and leaned again a corner wall. The rug and that one section of wall together were horribly conspicuous: They were the only things not charred black.

Ganondorf stood alone on the balcony to face towards the night sky away from the still slightly smoking disaster behind him, face grim and expressionless as always as his robe fluttered in the wind. His temper had diminished slightly, just enough to be contained once again, but still not cleared quite enough to contemplate the mysterious disappearance. He wouldn't be capable of that for at least another hour. He turned around and surveyed his cabin.

Much better.


	24. Why?

If you want, you should go re-watch the cutscene with the King of Red Lions. Right at the part where the King asks, "And will you do anything to save [Aryll]?" watch Link's eyebrows. I notice the weirdest things…

Guess what? I'm lapsing back into building phase again! Yay…?

A little short, but better than the hulking 10,000 word chapter I almost posted. (Basically what I did was chop it into four sections and I'll post them as separate chapters.)

--

More waiting. Ganondorf paced his cabin, his mind cleared and functional. A floorboard creaked ominously underfoot, burned so far that it would probably break under Ganondorf's weight, and he shook his head at his own actions as he stepped outside to the balcony.

Yes, it would be more waiting. The Hero of Time had simply been an illusion, Ganondorf concluded. It was a belief that had been born more from his own conflicting emotions than logic, but that was what he chose to believe, and he would continue to believe that until confronted with undeniable proof. He would simply wait until that moment that only he knew when would come, and when that moment came, he would unleash his wrath upon the world that had stolen his Hyrule from him…

He would wait, and instead of actively trying to dispatch anybody who stood in his way, he would merely delay them…even if they were trying to lay their hands on the cursed Master Sword. Delaying would be enough.

All he had to do would be to wait for the moment…

It couldn't come quick enough, much to Ganondorf's disgust. But just a little longer. All those decades trapped within the Dark Realm he himself had created and the even longer stretch of time he'd spend in the dead Hyrule was nothing compared to the time he had left to endure. It wouldn't be much longer, so he'd continue to wait.

Delay and wait.

Nothing more was necessary.

--

"Link… Link… Wake up, Link!"

He opened his eyes, but the sun was too bright, so he quickly shut them again. He preferred the day over the night, because the night was scary and teeming with the unwanted, but if the night was calm and blank, the dark wasn't so bad. And now, with his dry throat and limbs that felt glued to the wooden floor, darkness was much more inviting.

"Pull yourself together, Link!"

It sounded like an elderly man… Link's eyes snapped open despite the direct glare of the sun. Where were his manners? Aryll would snicker at him for being so impolite.

Aryll…

He almost didn't want to get up, he felt so bruised and battered both mentally and physically, but Link pulled himself to a crouch anyway. A familiar gentle rocking motion made that a little hard, but Link had enough experience on sailboats to keep his balance. It was a wooden boat with a majestic red paint job, and Link's eyes widened as he took in its details. This boat, he knew, was nothing like Orca's old rickety sailboat. This fine beauty, something he'd only been able to see from the faded blueprints that Sturgeon kept in his house. But what was he doing on this boat?

The boat was grounded in the shallows of some sort of covered cove that was shaped like a U, perfect to hide a small sailboat like this one. Emit and Reoh were both on the nearby sand, Reoh lying in some sort of awkward angle like he'd been dumped there, Emit sitting neatly against the wall but evidently asleep.

Link hauled himself to his feet with a suppressed groan. Where was he? What had happened after he'd lost consciousness? Who did this boat belong to? How did Emit and Reoh get here, anyway?

"Well? Have you come to your senses yet?"

It was the same voice as before…but there was nobody there! Link began panicking, looking around for the owner of the voice. Gonzo's ghost stories came to mind, increasing the flurry of confusion. Where was this person?!

That was when the boat's figurehead turned around and said, "You are surprisingly dull-witted…"

Link's eyes bugged out and he stumbled backward, falling on his butt with a yell. The boat was talking!

The figurehead laughed heartily. "Did I startle you?" Link was too busy gaping at the talking boat to answer. "I suppose that is only natural. As wide as the world is, I am the only boat upon it who can speak the words of men." Rubbing his butt, Link curled up into a sitting position to gape more comfortably at the talking boat. Goddesses, it was a _talking boat_!

"I am the King of Red Lions. Do not fear… I am not your enemy."

Link gulped. "Yessir." Meeting new people scared him a little, Link knew from experiences with the various Rito postmen, but Link could now say firsthand that meeting new talking boats was much, much scarier. He'd take fierce Ritos over boats any day.

"Link… I have been watching you since you went to the Forsaken Fortress to rescue your sister."

Oh, it was the "lecture" tone that Grandma used sometimes, and Sturgeon used a lot. It was better to just listen when those kinds of things came up…not that Link would have dared interrupt a boat. He wasn't that stupid.

"I understand how your desire to protect your sister could give you the courage to fearlessly stand up to anything… But such a bold attempt was foolhardy!"

Link winced. Not only was it a lecture, but it was a _reprimanding_ lecture. And what hurt the most was that it was absolutely true… "Yes…"

"And I have heard from Emit that the pirate girl, Tetra, has mysteriously vanished…" The King of Red Lions didn't have to say anything else.

Link looked down. He hadn't been able to rescue Aryll, Tetra had gotten kidnapped, and now he was in the middle of nowhere, so far from Grandma, who he should be comforting like a good grandson, instead of getting Tetra kidnapped and not even rescuing Aryll properly…

Defeat hurt.

The King of Red Lions interrupted his thoughts, oblivious to what was going through Link's mind. "I suppose you saw him… The shadow that commands that monstrous bird…"

Blinking, Link recalled the big man called Ganondorf. Emit and Reoh seemed to know him… He snorted. If picking people up by their arms counted as "knowing" people, yeah, they knew each other.

"His name is…Ganon."

Link hesitated, then pointed out tentatively, "Emit calls him Ganondorf…"

The King of Red Lions glanced at Emit's sleeping form, a flicker of wariness in his eyes. "He has many names, but there is only one man."

Link just nodded.

"Ganon, Ganondorf, call him what you will, but it is he who obtained the power of the gods, attempted to cover the land in darkness, and was ultimately sealed away by the very power he hoped to command."

Really? That sounded a lot like the story of the Hero of--

_"I'm the Hero of Time! Dun, dun DUUUNNN!!!"_

_"I'm the evil…er… The evil Ganondorf!"_

_"What kind of name is that?"_

Link gasped at the memory, and the King of Red Lions paused. "Yes? What is it?"

Hurriedly, Link shook his head. "N-Nothing." How could he explain something like that?

The boat's blue eyes narrowed slightly, before continuing, "He is the very same Ganon… The emperor of the dark realm the ancient legends speak of…"

"T-The evil from the legend of the Hero of Time?" Link asked squeakily, just to be sure.

"The very same. I do not know why the seal of the gods has failed, but now that Ganon has returned, the world is once again being threatened by his evil magic." The blue eyes seemed to be scrutinizing him, and Link shied away even more. "Tell me, Link… Do you wish to find Tetra, despite this threat?"

Link wouldn't be able to live with himself if he didn't at least try, even if he was going up against the evil man that _the_ Hero of Time had defeated. And when he tried, he'd make sure that he didn't screw up that time. He nodded.

"And do you still wish to save your sister from him?"

Was that even a question? Link tried to nod with as much confidence as he could, his eyebrows lowering as he steeled himself mentally.

"And will you do anything to save her?"

Link knew full well what "anything" meant. It could mean, well, anything…from traveling to the ends of the Great Sea, to selling his freedom, to becoming an…adult, even… His eyebrows twitched, almost unnoticeably.

He nodded twice.

"…I see."

The King of Red Lions didn't seem to be studying Link as closely anymore. "In that case, I shall guide you as we go forward…advising you on what you should do, and where you must go. Ganon cannot be defeated by human hands, let alone by what little strength you possess. The key to defeating Ganon is locked away in a great power that you can wield only after much toil and hardship. Do you understand?"

Link nodded again, long and slow. He'd have to defeat Ganon to save his sister. He'd have to do what the Hero of Time had to…

But did he have a choice? He had to go. He couldn't possibly abandon Aryll and Tetra…

"Great power? The key to defeating Ganondorf? Sir, could you be more…specific?"

Emit cracked one eye open. So he hadn't been sleeping. "Ganondorf is not to be dealt with lightly. No chances can be taken with him."

The King of Red Lions gazed at Emit, and Link thought he saw a sliver of wary suspicion in his wooden irises. "That will come clear in time. It is highly classified information."

"Does it happen to be in a pedestal?"

The sliver grew to mistrust.

"It is highly classified information," the King of Red Lions repeated stiffly. "It will come clear in time."

But Emit seemed to have already gotten the answer he wanted, because he leaned forward and a humorless smile tugged at his lips. "Yes, sir. I won't ask any more."

"Now," the King of Red Lions began, "there is another matter at hand—"

Emit held up a hand. "You're going straight to that? Pardon, sir, but I don't think Link truly understands who he's going up against. I can't imagine Link being able to understand the full weight of the situation."

Link almost protested, but the fact that the King of Red Lions was right there stopped him. He'd let this one play out and speak only when spoken to. Hopefully nobody would speak to him.

The King of Red Lions didn't speak for a moment, then said, "I suppose you are right. Link, you do understand completely that this is the same evil had been cast away by the famed Hero of Time, correct?"

Link nodded.

"You do understand," Emit said quietly, "that Ganondorf is the very embodiment of evil, created through greed and power? That he must be stopped no matter what the cost?"

Link seriously doubted that anybody could be _that_ evil, but he nodded again. Psh, Emit was probably just overreacting.

Emit leaned forward, the eyes above the green mask dead serious. "Are you sure you have no questions?"

Link had a question, alright, but he wasn't going to ask it. His voice came out unnaturally high. "No."

Emit didn't seem convinced, as if he knew that there was something bugging Link…but of course he would know that! Everybody on Outset agreed that Link was horrible at lying. Emit just continued to stare, and the King of Red Lions now joined in, able to smell the lie just as Emit could.

Link fidgeted uncomfortably, then muttered, "Yes, I do have a question."

"Shoot."

"You said he's…evil, right?"

"Yes."

"…Why?"

"He does horrible things to people. He's cold-hearted, and many people agree he's insane. He doesn't care in the slightest for other people, and will do what he can to achieve his goal."

That only brought up another question.

"Why?"

"Greed drives him, and he will not stop until that thirst for power is quenched."

Abe, way back on Outset, had long ago banned Link from asking more than five questions in succession, purely because Link could always find another question from the answer he'd just received. And it was oh-so simple, too, by simply using Link's favorite word:

"Why?"

Emit just kind of stared. "…What do you mean, 'Why'?"

Link shrugged, beginning to feel less nervous around the King of Red Lions, who was watching with interest. This was getting fun. "Why is he greedy?"

Emit's expression wavered, showing surprise. "…I don't know." Emit almost seemed embarrassed to admit it.

"Why don't you know?" Okay, that was a little off topic, but Link was enjoying himself too much to stop. And besides, Link knew about as much of Emit as he did Ishek, so it wouldn't hurt to ask a few questions about Emit, too.

Emit sucked in a breath slowly, then shrugged just like Link had. "Because I never really thought about that before…"

Link's eyebrow shot up. Who wouldn't think about these kinds of things? "Why?"

"I've never really need to think about it before," Emit explained, apparently struggling for words. " There was no need. He's a threat to the world, and that's all I need to know. "

"Why?"

The King of Red Lions almost seemed to be enjoying himself as much as Link was, and a little smile was forming on the boat's face. Emit, on the other hand, didn't seem to be bothered either way. "Please elaborate."

"Why didn't you need to know?" Link asked.

"…Because it's better to keep some things black and white," Emit answered after a little hesitation.

Link was about to ask another question containing his wonderful "Why," but Emit shook his head. "We're getting off topic. We were talking about Ganondorf."

The King of Red Lions chuckled, but Link wasn't so light-hearted. "I find this rather…perturbing," Link mused, staring at the shallow water off the edge of the boat, "that you fight against this Ganondorf without even knowing what Ganondorf's reasons are." He thought a little more, mulling everything over, trying to find the most abstract and the most obvious and the so obvious they were abstract, and Emit and the King of Red Lions watched him.

Finally, Link asked, "Then what defines a person as 'evil'?"

Another long silence, during which Link waited with glee and impatience, thrilled at that last question. While his long chains of "Why" questions were hilarious, providing ample entertainment, and were often informative, they were more about the quantity of the questions than quality. He could always form another question easily, but sometimes they weren't quite a good question as he could make them if he'd tried to go for quality. But this last question...now, _that_ was a quality question—one that had no answer.

The King of Red Lions muttered, "There are many definitions of 'evil'… I suppose it is when a person is both immoral and malevolent, causing many actions that are considered 'evil.'"

Link's first reaction had been to ask, "Define immoral," but he had a much better question. "If it's the actions that a person does that defines them as evil, then what defines their actions as evil?"

Emit rubbed his chin, then said slowly, "I suppose what defines actions as evil is that those actions are cruel and selfish, hurting other people's feelings in the process."

Link soaked that in, processing it as well as he could, then realized exactly who that definition included. "You know, Emit, you just defined Reoh as evil."

Emit glanced at Reoh, a slight smile curling his lips. "…So I did."


	25. Cheesewax

"How long was I out?" Link demanded, then mentally kicked himself. His tone was so disrespectful that it made Link want to apologize already, but the boat hadn't even seemed to mind.

The boat checked the sun before answering. "It's the afternoon now, Emit and Link left in the morning, I found you about midnight last night, so I suppose—"

"Thank you, sir, and bye," Link said hurriedly before stepping out onto the beach.

"Wait! We need to find a sail and supplies!" the boat shouted after him.

Link poked his head back and nodded respectfully, just for the sake of being polite. Rusl would kill him if he wasn't. Link wouldn't actually look for the sail, since Emit-Link would take care of supplies and whatnot, being the responsible type. Then he bounded back down the beach, eager to use his extra energy from the sleep.

Hoo, it _was_ quite the town. Almost as big as Castle Town. Link went straight for the main gate, past the girls playing in the flowers, completely forgetting what would happen as soon as he set foot into some sort of civilization.

He had forgotten that Forsaken Fortress hadn't been so bad because there hadn't been anybody to use…but here…

One red eye blinked from his shadow. She only had a limit to one prank, since she needed to find the supplies for her plan…so she'd try to make this one prank count. But it'd be hard, since her heart wouldn't be in it… How could it?

--

"Why were you so nervous back there?"

"Grandma says I have a 'thing' with strangers. And the fact that I just got thrown out of a super-scary-evil fortress by a super-scary-evil bird and that the stranger in this case is a boat didn't help."

"You were fine meeting us."

"The pirates were there, so that helped. If there's people I know around, it's not as scary, I guess."

"And I didn't help?"

"I guess not."

"What about with the Rito postman? You were fine with him."

"Tetra was there!"

"But you barely knew Tetra at the time."

"True."

"Geez… What makes her so special?"

"Dunno."

They were tourists, alright. Maybe merchants. But none of his business. They seemed more insane than anything else, anyway. One was wearing normal clothes, but a green mask, and the other was wearing leggings, boots, and a vivid green tunic. And then the little kid with the tunic, not even the older teen, had a _sword_, of all things…

Well, there were plenty of odd types that came around Windfall. Better head back anyway, he thought. Practice had started a full hour ago, and if he went back now, Wakana would throw a fit. Which was exactly why he'd waited until he was late.

--

"A-Are you sure, good sir?" the little man asked.

"Sorry," Link apologized, "but I'm broke anyway. I'd buy it if I had the money, even if just to help you out." Familiar pangs of guilt pierced him, coupled with nostalgia, remembering times when it had been his job to care and help others. He wasn't able to help this person… Emit-Link would come, Link guessed to assure himself. Emit-Link was that "type." Not to mention the kid. In fact, they were all that "type." Maybe it was a Hero thing.

The little man wiped his brow, looking worried. "Ah, such woes. You are my very first customer ever since I have tried to set up shop here, and my first customer has no money on him! Dear me… It seems that nobody shall bother to stop and spend a moment to look at such a small business such as mine…" The hooded man sighed. "Well, good-bye, and may the winds of fortune blow on your back."

The smile Link gave to the hooded man in return was a little uncertain. In Link's experience, that kind of farewell wasn't exactly common, but then again, it might as well be the common standard in this new world. Link backed away from the small stall, heading further down the street, only to stop and stare at the huge windmill. It kind of reminded him of Kakariko…

He didn't notice that he'd stopped right at the back of a line that led to another street-side stall until the girl in front turned around and glared at Link. "Did you just touch my butt?"

Link didn't know what the hell she was talking about, so he shook his head slowly and deliberately, expression confused.

"Then who else could have?" she demanded. "I'm the last one in line except for you!" She jerked a thumb at the line that led to a nearby stall.

Link shrugged and held up his hands to show he didn't know anything more than she did.

She glared at him one last time, then turned back to the shop, appearing to take his word for it. Link cast one last suspicious look at the back of her head before examining the stall she was waiting in line for. This stall was packed, with a huge line snaking down the street. Yet, it was just as small. The wares—a few pretty pots and cloths—weren't all that great, either, so what made this stall so much more successful than the one that the man with the hood ran?

"Hey!" the girl cried, and Link snapped his gaze back to her. Now what? She shook an accusing finger at his nose. "You poked me, I know you did!"

Link was about to protest that he hadn't when a small black hand rose up from behind the girl's shoulder and waved cheerfully. His eyes narrowed. So that was it.

Shaking his head, he turned and fled down the street without a word, avoiding passerbys. He had to get out of here before he ended up in extreme danger. The time Midna had stolen some drunk's wallet and put it in Link's hand just in time for said drunk to see Link holding the wallet came to mind…

--

Tetra dug through the pots, coming up with foreign foods that she couldn't recognize. What kind of meat was this? She'd never seen it before. She held up a plant that wasn't even cooked, a long, stringy green thin with a thick white root at the end. What in the name of the Great Sea was that?

Goddesses, this was _boring_. She'd always been bored on the pirate ship, even though it was much more exciting than living on an island, and she had always done her best to find the new adventure despite how fruitless it might have seemed…but here, she didn't even have the option of looking.

She sighed and leaned against the wall, staring up at the dark ceiling. Something here was missing, something she couldn't quite place... What was it? She hugged her knees to her chest and closed her eyes, imagining the great blue sea before her, comforting her… She could almost feel the spray on her cheeks, the wind on her face…

Shaking her head violently, she stood up again. It was no use daydreaming about something she didn't have. That would only make her miss the ocean even more. She snatched a Boko stick from the pot and, without hesitation, thrust it into the fire. She might as well see what the warning had been about, and besides, it might be exciting. Holding it up to the ceiling, she surveyed the area. Nothing had changed--

And that was when million yellow eyes snapped open in the ceiling darkness, the circular orbs staring down at her.

_Keese_.

Tetra swore.

--

"Are you like that too, Emit?" Kid-Link asked.

Link looked down, confused. "Like what?"

"Like—" Kid-Link began, but had to pause as somebody else rushed past them in the busy street. It was near impossible to hold a decent conversation in these crowded streets, with the merchants lining the streets, customers and traders all trying to find the best deals. "I mean, kind of shy?"

"No…?"

"Reoh said you are." Before somebody else could separate them, Kid-Link seized Link's hand, probably so neither would get lost.

Link's gaze turned suspicious. "Reoh said what?"

"That's you're shy. But the term he used was, 'socially challenged.'"

"Socially—!" Link sputtered. "I'm not socially challenged!"

Kid-Link giggled, "He said that you just hide it really well. He also said that you'd immediately deny it, but get really flustered."

Link was still whispering darkly to himself about Reoh-Link and his big mouth when Kid-Link stopped and pointed. "Ooh! Let's look over there!" It was a tiny stall, lodged in a corner, run by a single man with an oversized hood.

"Sure. I agree that sometimes the overlooked places have the most interesting things."

Kid-Link raised an eyebrow. "That wasn't exactly my reason, but whatever floats your boat is okay with me. I just thought it'd be fun and I'm curious."

The man looked like he was going to faint when the two marched up to the counter. "D-Dear me! Y-You're…customers!"

"Sir," Link said carefully, as politely as he could, "we wish to purchase a sail. Do you know where we can find one?"

"Yes, of course!" the hooded man exclaimed, overjoyed. "I am selling a sail as of now! My name is Zunari. I have traveled from a strange land where blizzards blew violently, but as I traveled, I was struck by a terrible storm, and it tore my ship to bits…but mysteriously, only my sail escaped without so much as a mark on it…"

Link wasn't too impressed, but Kid-Link was wide-eyed. "Really…?"

Zunari nodded solemnly. "I can only say that it must have been destiny that this sail survived."

Kid-Link's head tilted to one side. "…Destiny?"

Kid-Link didn't know what destiny was?! Oh, he'd know what destiny is inside and out and have experienced it first-hand by the time his role as Hero was done…

"Surely you know of destiny!" Zunari gestured frantically as he brought his sail out from under the counter. It did seem well-made, but Link wasn't a sailor, so Link had no idea what was good and bad for a sail. Link was kind of relying on the kid for this one. "Destiny is your fate! Surely you know of fate, at least!"

Kid-Link tapped his chin. "Grandma always mentioned the Hero of Time's destiny to save his land, or something like that…" Link averted his eyes to the left. Yes, Hero of Time this, Hero of Time that, and aforementioned Hero was standing right there…

"Yes! In the old folktale legend the people of the Great Sea speak of, the Hero of Time was destined to save the land! It is something you cannot escape from, something inevitable! You will do it no matter what! Destiny is your purpose that you cannot run from! Destiny is the commands and orders of the Goddesses themselves! Is it not horrifying and fascinating at the same time?" Zunari smiled and spread his arms. "Do you see now? The Hero of Time is a perfect example of the complex concept of destiny."

"I see, I see," Kid-Link said, seemingly completely serious as he nodded his head. "So, Mr. Zunari, how much is it for the sail?"

"Oh! Yes, the sail. How does eighty rupees sound?" Zunari asked.

Kid-Link turned expectantly to Link. "Reoh said that you have plenty money," he explained innocently.

"When did he tell you all this?" Link mumbled irritably as he fished his wallet out of his pocket, careful not to jostle Navi too much. Good thing Midna had given his wallet back…

"On the pirate ship! Reoh was kind of bored, is why."

In the end, Link was eighty rupees poorer, Kid-Link now had a sail that he insisted on wearing like a cloak and running up and down the street with for the first two minutes—even though it's length was nearly three times his height—before methodically folding it in some odd triangle pattern and claiming that Link couldn't touch it because he might damage it, something that caused much suppressed eye-rolling on Link's part.

Link directed the kid into an alley to escape the crowded streets, letting Kid-Link's hand slip out of his own for the time being because there were no people to get lost among. Link led the way, Kid-Link following. "Let's cut across this way, and then try and find some other supplies, like food and—" A thudding noise from behind Link cut him off, and Link whipped around to see Kid-Link crouched on the ground, arms wrapped around his stomach, head bowed so low his face was obscured.

"Kid?!" What was going on? Link knelt and shook Kid-Link's shoulder gently. "What's wrong?" The thin shoulder under Link's hand began to tremble, and Link thought for one panicked, horrifying second that Kid-Link was crying…but then Kid-Link looked up again, and he was…laughing?!

Indeed, Kid-Link was laughing so hard he couldn't make any noise, but soon enough, he caught his breath and began laughing out loud. Link just remained where he was, feeling awkward and puzzled. "Uh…what's so funny?"

Kid-Link flapped a hand desperately, trying to catch his breath, but it wasn't working. Finally, he gasped out:

"Cheese…wax…"

What the? Cheesewax? Link had no idea what "cheesewax" was, but they needed to keep moving and they shouldn't get delayed for Kid-Link's childish reasons. "Link, let's go—" was all he got out before Kid-Link continued amidst his laughter fit, voice strained.

"It's…just…so…_cheesewaxish_! So ridiculous! So bogus! So…so…so…dumb! Honestly!" Kid-Link shook his head helplessly, breaking out in fresh gales of giggles. "The stupidest and most obvious mind trick in the Great Sea, I'd bet! Such a…a…scam! That load of cheesewax!"

"Scam?" Link repeated, confused, but suddenly Kid-Link hopped back up and pointed somewhere off to the other side of the alley, all laughter disappeared as if it had never existed, replaced with wide-eyed curiosity.

"I hear music! Let's check it out!"

"Hey!" Link yelled after him, but the kid had already scampered off. "Wait for m—! …Never mind."

And so, Link hurried after the child in the shadowy half-light of the alleys, weaving further into the depts of Windfall's town.


	26. Orchestra

In the Vocaloid song _Servant of Evil_, do you think if Rin stopped dressing like Len and showed herself to Kaito, do you think he'd faint from the shock of seeing somebody come back from the dead? After all, to his knowledge, Rin got her head chopped off at the guillotine, and she's still up and about! Hehe, I can just totally see it… I just had to put this here. I'm sorry. I know it has almost nothing to do with this story as of yet.

Anybody else notice how ridiculously anti-climatic updating chapters are? I work on this thing for days, edit it ten times over, fret over its quality all the way through the Document Uploading sequence, and hesitate for half an hour before pressing the "update chapter" button, and when I finally get the guts to press it…it's just ridiculously anti-climatic. At least have some sort of fireworks display with a huge "CONGRATULATIONS!" message. I deserve _that_ much.

--

Here he was safe…probably. One never could tell. Link glared at his shadow, still slightly out breath for being forced to climb all the way to a goddessdamned _roof_ to escape any possibility of some vicious prank. Midna usually operated on messing with other unsuspecting people and causing funny reactions. Of course, sometimes they weren't so funny for Link.

Voices were floating up from below. Link listened half-heartedly, only faintly registering the meanings to the sounds that should have been words. Being up here gave him a pretty good view of the ocean, and it was a little more interesting than voices.

"Where do you think he went?"

"Who?"

"You know! That rich boy! The brown-haired one!"

"There's plenty of brown-haired boys."

"The one that…you know…"

It was two women, probably gossiping. Rumors and gossip never occurred in Ordon, but it was the most common thing besides dirt in Castle Town. Sometimes it held interesting tid-bits, sometimes it just served to anger Link at the blatant untruthfulness of it all—not that he ever said anything about it, though. The Link Castle Town knew didn't even have a temper.

"Oh! You mean the one from the educated family?"

"Of course! Such a shame, such a shame… They had too high expectations of him, don't you think? Plenty of people get around with C grades, but no, that family demanded a perfect A…"

"It was probably the lack of his musical ability that set them off, don't you think?"

"Probably. They were even bigger on music than education. He wasn't bad, but he certainly didn't want to play the viola, always talking to those swarthy sailors—"

"I thought he played the violin?"

"Violin, viola, same thing, really. But they were such sticklers on music. Did you see their instrument collection they left behind? Astonishing. Of course, it's cleared out now. Who knows who took it. Probably those thief children—"

"You know what I heard?"

"What?"

"That when he came home and found that his parents had disowned him and moved off Windfall, he packed every single instrument they'd left behind, took the money they'd left him, and announced, 'I will cease to care about anything!' Or something like that…"

"Anything? Anything could mean…well…anything! Friends! Family! Life! Are you sure he wasn't exaggerating?"

"Dead sure. And then afterwards…he…you know…"

"Yes, I heard… They say he killed himself…"

"Only logical to assume such a thing. He hasn't been seen since three years ago."

Link shook his head, getting up and leaping to the next roof, farther away from the ladies. They probably didn't even know what they were talking about anyway, and it was depressing to listen to that kind of thing.

It was certainly more peaceful here, and Link stretched out on the dirty roof shingles, careful to avoid the bird droppings. Lying on his back, he could clearly see the clouds, traveling in slow motion to…somewhere. He stared at the sky for a while, slipping back into that zoning state of mind that he'd been in just before he'd been whisked away to this strange, vast ocean world a month ago… Had it really been an entire month? Looking back, it had seemed to go by so fast, but he knew that at the time it had seemed like time wouldn't move fast enough.

"Link…"

Link took one look at Midna, standing on the shingles next to him with her arms crossed, and immediately scrambled away. "What?" he asked, suspicious, crouched on the roof in preparation for anything.

"I'm ready to forgive you," Midna declared, straight-faced.

Oh, it couldn't be that easy, Link knew. She'd only pulled one prank, which made everything only more suspicious. "Really. So what's the catch?"

Midna smirked. "I have three conditions."

Depending on the conditions, this could either be okay, bad, horrible, or good-sounding with a nasty loophole that Midna would find a way to exploit. Link watched her face carefully, as if this were a game of Fake Out. "Alright…let's hear them."

"One!" Midna held up one thin finger. "I want to know…do you really understand why I'm angry?"

"Possibly."

"Stop being so vague!" she snapped. Link rolled his eyes, giving way to more growling. "Do you or what?"

"Yeah, I know why."

"Are you sorry?"

"Is that your second condition?" Link asked with mock innocence.

"No!" Midna waved her arms in frustration. "Just answer the question!"

"…Yes."

"Do you regret it?"

"Regret," Link pointed out, "isn't the same as being sorry. I said I'm sorry."

Midna crossed her arms again, sulky. "Fine. There _is_ a Twilian proverb that says, 'Regret is the one force that can defy the Goddess of Death.' You Hylians put it as, 'It's better to regret doing something than to regret not doing something,' or something like that. Right?"

Link shrugged. He'd been holed up in Ordon most of the time, so he didn't know much more than she did. "Sounds about right."

"Anyway, we're getting off topic. Second condition." She dramatically put up two fingers in Link's face. "Promise you'll never do something like that again. Ever!"

Eyes narrowed, Link replied coolly, "Then you have to promise the same thing."

He'd gotten her with that one, because it was clear from her face that she was taken aback. "What?"

"I promise I won't do something stupid and self-sacrificing like that, and you promise the same thing. I thought I was pretty clear the first time." Link crossed his arms, sitting adamant on the roof.

Midna glared at him. "This isn't about me! It's about you!"

"I won't promise until you do," Link sang. She would break eventually, because she wouldn't be making him promise this sort of thing if she didn't care. Using this, Link could get her to do this sort of thing.

Her hands curled into fists, and she muttered through gritted teeth, "…Fine."

"Okay!" Link grinned, folding his arms behind his head. "I promise I won't do anything self-sacrificing, and you promise that you won't do anything self-sacrificing. Agreed?"

"Agreed…"

Link leaned back on the roof, letting the warmth of the sun cover his whole face. Victory was sweet, even if it was small. "And what's the third condition?"

Midna perked up, smiling evilly. She snapped her fingers, conjuring a small black stone from Twilight. "I want you to carry a rock for me."

"…A…rock…" Link repeated in disbelief. That was it?! It wasn't even that big!

"Yeah," Midna giggled, holding the rock out for him to take. "Be a good servant and keep it for me, will you? You can keep it in a pocket or in that magical bag thing of yours, I don't really care, but just don't lose it."

"Do that snappity thing you do and store it in the Twilight," Link suggested, doubtful of her motives. "You don't need me to carry it."

"Just take the rock, wolf-boy!"

Link rolled his eyes and swiped the rock, examining it. When Link had first stepped into the Twilight, it had felt like an icy hand had clenched itself around Link's heart. He'd grown to ignore it, though. For some reason, this rock reminded him of that particular moment, but the feeling was only a ghost. Like hell this was an ordinary rock.

"What is this?" he asked, squinting at it in an effort to make sense out of it.

"Exactly what it is," Midna answered blithely.

"Geez. So helpful."

"And take your bag back already. I'm tired of carrying your junk." Midna dropped it right in his lap, and Link slipped the rock into the bag. "Good doggy!" she giggled, clapping her hands together. Link rolled his eyes.

It better not be some sort of practical prank, Link thought dubiously. If it blows up in my face or something like that, she's really going to get it.

--

Medli knocked on Komali's door again, trembling slightly. "K-Komali, just come out and talk about it—"

"Go away," he repeated from behind the door. Medli miserably stared down at her feet, strangling her harp in her hands. They were the same age, but because he was the prince and she was only a lowly attendant, he had been to receive his scale last and she was to go right before him. Climatic purposes, the chieftain had said. Like saving the best for last.

Since she'd gone first, she'd noticed the mood Lord Valoo had been in. She should have said something, she should have voiced that nagging worry in the back of her mind that perhaps Lord Valoo's slightly strange behavior hadn't been just nothing. He'd been trying to hold his temper in check when Medli had visited him for her scale right before Komali, she could tell, but she had thought that Lord Valoo was probably just irritated about the broken wind shrine. And because Komali had received it last, Lord Valoo finally hadn't been able to hold his temper anymore and blown up as Komali had approached. Medli had dragged Komali from the fiery wrath as the dragon unexpectedly thrashed and roared.

Komali thought it was his fault that Lord Valoo had begun his temper tantrum, that because he wasn't good enough to be the Crown Prince, Lord Valoo had rejected him and was letting the world know of Komali's incompetence. But Medli knew it wasn't Komali's fault. It was her fault. She'd failed as an attendant, as a guardian of the great Lord Valoo.

"Komali…"

"Go away."

"But—"

"Go away!" he bellowed, voice strained as if he were holding back tears.

Medli blinked back tears of her own, turning and running as fast as she could down the corridor. She kept running through the central hall, various postmen yelling as she nearly knocked one of them down in her rush. She sprinted up the labyrinth of stairs to the highest level, finally coming to an outside balcony. Her feet made hollow clacking noises on the wooden boards as she slowed to a stop, clutching her harp as it were some sort of security. The wind whipped past her, playfully toying with her ponytail.

_Play with me! Let go of those you care about and soar!_

She strapped her harp to her back with care and extended her arms, watching as her bare arms burst with feathers, tickling her a little. Medli flapped experimentally, knowing that she still wasn't good enough to fly. Yet, despite her lack of skills in the air, it felt so natural, like she belonged in the air, as if her home was in the sky…

She would love to accept the invitation and join the wind in the lovely sky, but what was the point of having these wings when she wouldn't be able to fly and share her joy with Komali?

--

The small hut was tucked away in the deepest shadows of the buildings of Windfall, and Link had only been able to find his way here because of the music he'd heard. Honestly, this music seemed dry and…hollow, almost, as if there was no emotion put into it, but it'd caught his interest anyway. The only music he'd ever heard before was singing, and this wasn't singing. It was something else, something indescribable.

"Shh!" Link held a finger to his lips, signaling Emit to be quiet. "I want to listen!"

"No! We need to get supplies—"

"Five minutes!" Link begged under his breath.

"…I guess," Emit sighed.

Link smiled his thanks, then turned back to peering through the door into the hovel. Each player wore faded clothes of various grays and browns, all adorned with dirty smudges on skin and clothes alike. Their instruments were battered, the wood scratched, although the instruments were still obviously useable. He'd only seen these instruments through books, so it was fascinating to see them up close. He tried to identify them, struggling to recall all that he'd read on music. It was hard, because he'd never found anything interesting about music other than the role the conductor had, mostly because it looked fun to stand in the middle of an orchestra and wave a stick around.

Those three over there had what seemed like the melody and the instruments they had were quite small, so he assumed them to be the violins. There were two instruments that were easily identified as cellos…but there wasn't anyone else other than the conductor, who continued to bounce the stick up and down, her movements tired and expressionless.

Three violins, two cellos, no violas, bass, or winds, one conductor, without even sheet music or chairs, all standing in the middle of a completely bare room. Sturgeon had said that the smaller orchestras had perhaps ten first violins, fifteen second violins, six violas, and four basses. Did this even count as an orchestra? Maybe it was some sort of quintet…

Link tapped his chin. They looked like people who had no idea where they would find their next meal, people with no money. The poor, in other words. So why did they have instruments? It didn't make any sense. Instruments were expensive, according to Orca.

Abruptly, the conductor shook her head and waved her baton, cutting off the players. They stopped playing, slouching where they stood as if tired. Even the conductor's shoulders were hunched over, as if bearing invisible weight. "No, not like that. Eve, play out more." A blonde girl nodded, whispering to the two other violins, two boys. The conductor continued, "In fact, all you violins, play out more. Sven and Hikali, you don't have the melody, so back off and let the violins through." The boy and girl playing the cellos nodded. "Then right after that, it needs to be as quiet as you can play it."

Link inched farther into the doorway, really interested now. Obviously, the conductor wanted more volume in certain places because she could hear the emotionless, hollow value the notes held as well, but would increasing volume be enough to dispel that kind of feeling?

A brown-haired boy groaned. "Sure, sure, but when can we stop?"

"When we're done, Sven," the conductor said briskly. "We need to perfect this, or this will be the second day we haven't eaten anything. You want that?" She barely mustered a glare to fire at the five players.

"No, Ma'am Wakana," they chorused half-heartedly.

"So put more emotion in it!" Wakana growled, but Link could see her spirited tone was forced.

Link leaned even farther into the doorway, forgetting that he might get spotted. And get spotted he did, as the conductor's eyes snapped and locked onto him.

"Visitors!" the conductor exclaimed gleefully, all lethargy disappearing. "Come in, come in!" Before Link knew what was happening, Link and Emit were inside the little house and the entire orchestra was surrounding them excitedly.

But before anything could even happen, Emit intervened. "I'm sorry," Emit said smoothly, "but we were just passing by. We have to keep moving."

"O-Oh…" Wakana seemed to deflate, she seemed so crestfallen, and it was heartwrenching to see her kind face fall like that. "A-Are you sure you don't want to listen?"

"Ten rupees per person to listen to one performance," the blonde girl volunteered cheerfully. "I'm Eve, by the way."

Emit cast an eye around the room, then sighed. "If it's money, you can have it. But we really need to get going—"

"Emit," Link whispered, tugging at Emit's hand.

"What?"

"I want to ask her," Link pointed shyly at the conductor, "a question."

"So why're you telling me?"

Link smiled uneasily, then cleared his throat. "Ma'am…"

"Yes?"

"What do you play?"

Wakana tilted her head back, a kind smile curling her lips. "What do I play? I play the orchestra, of course."

Link was confused. "How?"

"With this," Wakana explained, holding up the thin conductor's baton. "I use my magical powers to force them to play." The rest of the players started to snigger, like it was a regular joke.

"Magical powers? Really? You force them to play?" Link gasped. He could almost hear Emit sighing again, and the quiet laughing grew a little louder.

"Yes, really."

Link thought it over for a minute before declaring skeptically, "You don't really _force_ them, do you." It should have been a question, but he didn't say it like one.

Wakana's smile grew. "So you're not as naïve as I though. Yeah, you're right, if you're going to take it literally like that. There's no invisible puppet strings attached or anything. They don't have to follow the beat I conduct, but they should for the sake of the orchestra."

Link frowned. "Oh yeah… Uncle Sturgeon said that all conductors do keep the rhythm." To that, Orca had emphatically objected, but Sturgeon had pointed out that Orca had about the same amount of experience with music as a worm.

"That's pretty much all conductors do," Wakana agreed. "We can't really do anything else."

Link smiled back. "Well, it doesn't look to me that that's all conductors do. You're the leader, right? It's a 'lead by example' thing. They'll just respond accordingly to whatever you do."

"Okay, we really have to go," Emit interrupted. "I'm really sorry, but we have to get going—Hey!"

"Here you go," Link offered, holding an orange rupee in one hand and Emit's stolen wallet in the other. Wakana immediately crossed her arms and shook her head, face freezing into a stony mask, but the other children looked interested.

"Ma'am, it can't be that bad…" Eve said slowly.

"We just have to swallow our pride, is all," Sven pointed out, and without waiting for Wakana to respond, he took the orange rupee with near reverence. "We can't rely on _him _all the time."

"I wasn't going to rely on him, and I'm not accepting any pity offerings," Wakana said softly. "No begging, no favors, _and no stealing_."

"We never said stealing," Sven retorted. "You've taught us better than that. But still, I don't think it's pity offerings."

There was a moment of hesitation. "An orange rupee? Really?" Wakana asked, her lips still twisted in distaste. "That's a hundred rupees right there…"

"Why not?" Link shrugged, and Emit nodded after a moment. "It was fun talking to you, so consider it…uh…" Link scrabbled in the dark for a word that wouldn't wound Wakana's obvious pride. "I dunno. But take it."

"Ooh, that's a pretty sum right there," a voice called. "Wakana, I'm back!"

Wakana whipped around, a murderous glint in her narrowed eyes. "Train!" she shrieked, hurling her baton at the newcomer's face. Link flinched, scared at the abrupt flip the kind woman had taken.

The boy named Train ducked, drawling, "Careful, we don't have enough money to buy another one. Well, maybe we do, thanks to that orange beauty right there, but we should probably spend that on food instead. In fact, why don't you just sell your baton for extra money?"

"You're hours late!" Wakana seized Train's shirt and shook him. "You're our only viola! We need you!"

Train pushed her back and scoffed, "I don't care. And if you're going to be like that, I guess I'll go kill another hour somewhere else." Then he turned around and stalked right back out of the house. Pretty dumb, Link thought. If you're going to walk into a house, might as well stay longer than three seconds and make the effort worth it.

"GET BACK IN HERE!" Wakana bellowed, but Train was already gone. Link and Emit just kind of stood there, watching awkwardly. "Goddessdamnit, boy!"

"Ma'am Wakana, please," another violin boy pleaded. "He's always been like that. Nothing we can do."

"That little jerk pisses me off!" Wakana seethed, jabbing her finger viciously at the door. "Does he think he can just waltz in here? _I_ care, even if _he_ doesn't! He has to learn when to grow up and stop running away! Get the little chicken to grow some balls!"

"Don't use that kind of language," Emit whispered to Link. Link nodded.

"We'll get him." Eve seized Sven's arm and dragged him out of the house.

"And let's follow them!" Link cried excitedly, taking Emit's arm and following Eve and Sven. "Bye, Ma'am Wakana! Thank you!" Wakana didn't respond, but waved instead while examining her baton for scratches, eyebrows still furrowed in anger.

Eve and Sven seemed to know where they were going, so Link just followed them through the winding, dark alleys. Link didn't know how anybody could live there, it was so claustrophobic with the tall buildings stretching up the sky and allowing such little freedom. Here, Link couldn't see the ocean, just increasing his panic.

"Ah! Up there!" Sven shouted. Sure enough, Train was scaling a building wall with a rope that had somehow attached itself to the side of the roof. "That cheater! He's got a grappling hook and we don't!"

"That's awesome…" Link breathed. "I want one…"

"The Hookshot is way more useful than some grappling hook," Emit muttered.

"Don't you think I'm right?" Eve demanded, glaring at Sven, seeming to completely forget that Link and Emit were standing right there.

"How could you be right?" Sven scoffed. "It's the stupidest reason I can think of!"

"It's possible! It's more than possible! It's probable, even!"

"It's a reason, but it's so stupid he shouldn't even be bothered—"

"It's possible! It's the only reason I can think of!"

"Let me put it this way: It's possible, but it's so stupid that it's _im_possible!"

Eve and Sven were in full-blown argument now, completely forgetting that Link was there. "Let's go," Emit hissed. "We've wasted so much time!"

"No!"

"You said five minutes! Let's go!"

After hesitation, Link nodded half-heartedly, still loathe to leave these interesting people. As Emit pulled Link forward, Link whispered, "Emit…did you notice anything odd about Train's hair?"

"No. What about it?"

"It was the color of ash!"

"So?"

"Have you ever seen anybody with hair the color of ash? Light gray? Somebody that young?"

"No, but I wouldn't be surprised if somebody did. I've seen people with green hair."

"Oh. Never mind, then."

--

Link finally picked up that something was off when people started moving to the sides of the streets and activity stilled somewhat. Something poked the bottom of his bare foot irritably, so he took Midna's advice and followed suit. A short man with ridiculous hair that stuck out on the sides of his head in misshapen spheres waddled down the street, sticking his plump chest out like he was just that important. Link thought the man looked pretty stupid, but people eyed him with distaste and respect. "Who's that?" Link asked the elderly man next to him under his breath.

"That would be Cannon," the elder said, grinning a toothy grin with gaps in his teeth. "Only bomb maker left in the world, y'know. Runs a monopoly on anything explosive. Instant-lighting candles? He sells 'em. Fireworks? He's got those too. But his biggest trade is on bombs, and he reaps a pretty sum from merchants. That is, any merchants who dare buy those bombs. Most people are scared witless of those things."

The older man shook his head. "He's a right pompous little man. Highly influential. Last time somebody stole bombs from him, the thief's face was on every wanted poster out there. The woman was caught in less than a week. Not surprising, since Cannon made her out to be a wretched little demon hellbent on murdering somebody, even though she wasn't. People believed him because of his influence. But she was only doing what she could in poverty, and she wasn't a threat. She was a pretty little thing, too…" The old man tapped his chin. "What was her name? Kana? Ahh, my old age is getting to me."

Cannon turned the corner, and the streets were once again busy as always. "Anyway, I gotta get back to my book stall. Don't get on his bad side, and you'll do fine, laddie," the elder advised, already beginning to slouch off.

"Yessir," Link replied dutifully. "Promise."

Midna snorted from his shadow, and Link could understand why. A little smirk twitched his lips as he waded through the crowd in search of something interesting.

Yeah, they had a habit of breaking promises anyway.

--

Train, Sven, and Eve will serve a purpose later. Wakana will too. Everything I do, it seems, has a purpose.

By taking Train, Sven, and Eve's names, I'm paying tribute to one of the founding inspirations of _Free as the Wind_, so people who know them, it's not a crossover, just recognition…and because I was too lazy to make my own names.


	27. Divided

Sorry for the delay, I was too busy procrastinating.

Possibly the only part of this chapter I liked was the very last bit. Mostly because that's where my style lies. Or maybe the first bit. But the middle part was just…odd, to me. Although it was necessary.

--

Link shoved the beggar back, warning him with his eyes: "You do that again, I won't care what the other guy did." The beggar glared back, his dirty face scrunched up in distaste, but his bright eyes were fixed on the man behind Link instead of Link himself.

"Filthy scum," the rich man muttered, and Link whipped around again.

"What was that?" Link hissed. "Do you guys just go around picking fights or something?"

The rich man pointed at the beggar with a finger adorned with three rings. "Filthy scum," he repeated pompously. "He shouldn't be touching my clothes. He'll get dirt on them."

"Why, you—!" the beggar screeched, lunging at the rich man. Link seized the bony shoulders again and easily held him back, glaring at the rich man. The rich man simply shrugged and laughed wickedly, walking out of the shadowy alley, his lush robes trailing behind him and kicking up dirt from the street. "Come back and fight!" the beggar yelled, trying to rip Link's hands away.

"No!" Link insisted. "

"He started it!"

Link choked and nearly laughed in the guy's face. "Do you have any idea how childish that sounds?"

The beggar stopped struggling and rubbed his neck. "It's not fair… I was always poor, making my life so hard to begin with, but now Maggie's gone… Nobody to wash my clothes for me, make my meals…"

"Gone?" Did the beggar mean this Maggie died or something?

Nodding wildly, the beggar groaned, "That bird came and snatched her to that dreaded Forsaken Fortress…"

Link paused. So that was it. Link assured him, "I'm sure she's fine. Really."

"Having a kidnapped daughter doesn't earn you a single rupee…" the beggar mumbled irritably. What, Link thought, he expects people to give him money since his daughter's kidnapped? Link had personally been through quite a bit more muck than somebody getting kidnapped—somebody he knew actually _had_ been kidnapped, by the way, and then lost all her memories on top of that—and he was dead broke. Coupled with the beggar's comment on his daughter, Maggie, washing his clothes for him, Link was starting to dislike this beggar. The beggar insisted on whining, yet he didn't even care about his daughter.

"Right. Stay out of trouble, okay?" Link commanded, striding briskly out of the alley in the direction the rich man had gone.

As soon as Link stepped into the light, Link saw the rich man again, but he was hunched over and seemed to be…sobbing?! "Mila…" he moaned. "Oh, Mila, your father's just a wreck without you… How could that bird have snatched you away…?"

Another one who'd lost a girl to the bird?! Link hated it when people cried—it was awkward and Link always felt horrible. Link hesitated, frozen in place at the shock of seeing somebody break down in front of him, and so suddenly, too. Very slowly, he leaned forward and peered into the man's face, which was scrunched up in genuine sorrow and his beady eyes closed. "I-It's alright," Link began, and the man jumped, rubbing his eyes. "She's fine. I've been in the Forsaken Fortress, and she's still waiting."

"Really?" The man's eyes lit up. "She's waiting for me…?"

"Yeah. In fact, me and a few, uh…_friends_," could Link really call them friends? "of mine are going back there. We'll rescue her." Link grinned as a weak smile tugged at the man's lips under his orange beard. "So don't worry! We'll get her back, promise!"

"Yes, yes of course," the man chortled sadly, "Mila would hate to see me so down like this. She really loves me, after all." Link nodded, watching the rich man shuffle off.

"So it was all just because their tempers got the better of them. They didn't really hate each other," Link muttered, leaning against a building wall in the shade.

"I wouldn't be so sure, wolf-boy," Midna sang softly from his shadow, her red eye laughing silently at him. "Even in the Twilight Realm, the rich and the poor are almost like two different races. They both despise the other. _So_ annoying when you're the one in charge of breaking up the riots." Link could almost hear the shrug in her voice. "You've seen Castle Town, too. The sections devoted to the poor and the sections that radiate money. And how both of them just despise each other, shooting nasty glares at each other's backs."

"Mm," Link agreed after a moment. "So help the man who falls from the rich and is forced to live with the poor, abandoned on both sides."

--

"If you're going to buy it, hurry up!" the clerk grumbled. Good advice, Link thought. Kid-Link was getting antsy, being utterly bored looking for food and other essentials. Link couldn't really understand how it could be possible to be bored purchasing supplies, since it was the stuff that kept one alive.

Link finally decided to get at least one bag of bread, at least for the kid. Reoh-Link would be fine eating tasteless jerky and potions—and if he wasn't, Link wouldn't really care—and Link had been living that way for pretty much the entire time he'd been out of the Kokiri Forest. But the kid wouldn't be able to get used to that way of eating for a while, so at least something with flavor would help. Something, of course, that didn't make people wrinkle their noses, like potions.

As he passed the drink section, Link spied bottles of milk sitting in organized rows, waiting for somebody to pick them up. The last time he'd drank milk was… Goddesses, he couldn't remember! Link stopped, still holding the packets of jerky, and stared long and hard at the milk. Let's see, the only place he'd ever get milk from would be from Lon Lon Ranch, and he hadn't been there for a decent visit since…he'd borrowed Epona to look for Navi. But as soon as he figured that Navi wouldn't have left if their friendship had meant anything, which had been some time after Termina, he had left Epona back at the ranch. Giving back Epona hadn't been easy, but he had no more use for a horse. According to Zelda, who stayed in touch with Lon Lon Ranch for economical reasons, Epona was still there, since Malon couldn't find anybody who could ride her without ending up on the ground, rolling to avoid furious hoofs bent on stamping a horseshoe into their forehead. Epona was a good girl, Link reminisced as he fished out his wallet yet again. Pity nobody had ever figured out how to ride her excepting himself, because she was an excellent horse and even companion. She'd been loyal to the end.

Link watched the milk from the corner of his eye, disbelieving that the last time he could have drank milk was seven years ago as the Hero of Time. But on second thought... Actually, he'd drank milk at Termina. How could he have forgotten? But still seven years ago, anyhow. Had it really been that long ago? In retrospect, everything seem to go by so fast, but Link could remember the days dragging by at an unbearably slow pace at the time.

The clerk gave him a huge paper bag to carry everything in, but by the time Link was done fitting everything inside—and wishing he had his own bag that completely ignored all restraints of quantity—Kid-Link wasn't in the indoor shop anymore, causing Link to panic. "High maintenance kid?" the clerk joked.

"You have no idea," Link replied irritably.

"Better go chase after that brother of yours. I'll hold your purchases for you until you find him," the clerk offered.

"He's not my brother," corrected Link kindly.

"Really? He looks like he could be related to you. But take care of him anyway, alright?"

Link didn't really hear, because he was already out the door into the sunny streets, scanning the faces of the passerby's carefully. The kid wasn't there, either! He tapped a woman's shoulder, pulling up in his mind every single tip on courtesy Zelda had ever taught him and all those that he'd learned on his own. "Excuse me, Ma'am, but have you seen a little kid about this tall," he motioned the rough height, "with blonde hair? He's wearing a really odd green outfit."

"That way." She pointed, then asked snottily, "Why in the world are you wearing a mask?"

"Er…long story. Thank you, though," he said quickly and left. He was mildly surprised she'd been the first person to ask, but then again, maybe there were a lot of weird types that came around here, causing little reaction. There were a lot of weird types around Castle Town and Kakariko, too.

When Link had located the kid standing in front of the stall, he heard the stall owner ask, "How old are you, laddie?"

"Me? I'm ten, Mister."

"Ten? How well can you read?"

"I can understand it pretty good, but I'm not too fast. It's mostly because I don't find anything interesting to read. Y'know?"

"Oi! Kid!" Link called, causing Kid-Link to look up from the book he was holding.

"Oh! Hi, Emit!" He smiled cheerfully, and the stall owner, an elderly man with a toothy grin, leaned over his counter to see who the kid was talking to.

"What do you mean, 'hi'? I thought that you'd gotten lost!" Link pressed his lips together. "This is a clear fifty feet away from where I was! Do you have any idea how worried—"

"I would've come back," Kid-Link said nonchalantly. "Look what I found!" He held up a book excitedly, and Link examined the black lettering on the cheap blue cloth that bound the book.

Ugh. _Reading_. If he never had to read or write again in his life, he'd be happy. He slowly made out the words, cursing whoever was so ridiculously smart they had to come up with such a complicated system of writing. "The…Hero of…Time?" Link stared at first the book, then the kid's face, sure his face was turning red. "Are you serious?"

"Yeah! Can you get it for me? Please?" Kid-Link paused, then added, "And why are your ears turning red?"

"Uh…I probably got sunburned." A valid excuse to anybody who didn't know that Link _never_ got sunburned. Ever.

The bookseller cut in and informed them smugly, "That one came out quite a while ago, and it's decently popular. It's based on the legend, but it deviates away from the story a little and is much more detailed than the legend, which is rather vague and changes depending on who's telling the legend, anyway. It's sequel just came out recently. I think Link here," the old man jerked a thumb at the kid, "would like it."

Kid-Link was positively glowing every time he so much as looked at the book, his curiosity obviously piqued. But Link absolutely could _not _buy it for the kid. First, it wouldn't be practical for the journey, and second, Reoh-Link would never let Link forget it if he saw Link so much as looking at a book about himself. Again, Link was sure he was blushing, or his ears turning red, since that was more likely to color than his cheeks. "You don't need a book," Link argued, voice fighting to stay calm and not panic with the embarrassment of this situation. "Besides, it'll get wet. We're traveling on a boat, you know."

"But it's got a sequel, too!" Kid-Link begged, as if that were something that would make Link change his mind. He held up a red book, also bound in cheap cloth. "Look!"

Link didn't bother reading the title on that one. "It doesn't matter! You don't need a book—"

"Please!" Kid-Link whined. "If you buy it for me, I'll give you a hug!"

That one caught Link off-guard. "W-What? Why would I need a hug?"

"Everybody needs hugs!" Kid-Link exclaimed.

"Just get it for him," the bookseller chortled, amused by Link's reaction. "And while you're at it, get the sequel, too. They're both pretty interesting, and I'll end up with extra money."

"Is one hug not good enough?" Kid-Link asked innocently, head tilting to one side. "Then what about two hugs?"

--

Inside the little cove with the King of Red Lions, Kid-Link muttered, "Emit won't let me give him a hug for buying the stuff for me. Does he not like hugs, Reoh? …Reoh?"

Reoh-Link, at the moment, couldn't respond, because he was too busy laughing. His face was beginning to turn a little blue, actually.

"What's so funny?" Kid-Link eyed the blue book in Reoh-Link's hand. "Is it the book? Is the book funny?"

Probably it wasn't so much as the book itself that was funny, but who had been forced into buying the book for the kid. Why had Link let the kid talk him into it? Not only that, the kid has _somehow_ gotten Link to get him a dictionary, paper, pencils, and ridiculous amounts of _chalk_, of all things. Why in the world would the kid need _chalk_? And, better yet, how did he somehow get Link to buy it for him?

The King of Red Lions commented, "I, personally, do not see the joke. Would somebody please explain?"

"Reoh is just being himself," Link grumbled. To Reoh-Link, he said firmly, "It was for the kid, alright? I'm not going to read it. And he's a kid, so we might need something to keep him occupied if he get's bored, right?"

Reoh-Link just laughed harder, causing Link to sigh _again._

"You found a sail, I presume?" the King of Red Lions asked, changing the subject to something that didn't involve things that he didn't get.

Link nodded, relieved at the subject change. "Yes, along with everything else. I even bought water, just in case."

"What do you mean, just in case?" Kid-Link peered into the paper bag, examining Link's purchases. "We need plenty of water. You can't drink ocean water, if that's what you mean. Uncle Orca says if you do, you'll go insane. I thought everybody knew that."

_Link _hadn't known that, but then again, the closest he'd ever come to an ocean was Termina's bay, which he'd been traversing as a Zora, so he'd never known that oceans had salt in them. "…Maybe I should have bought more water…" Link muttered.

"No, we'll just drink the kid's blood if we need to drink something," Midna giggled, popping out of Reoh-Link's shadow. "Right, kid?" She grinned wide at the frozen kid, showing her fang, and the kid stared back, green eyes wide and blank.

Five whole seconds passed—Link counted—and not even the boat had moved, much to Midna and Reoh-Link's stifled hilarity. Finally, the kid screamed and sprinted out of the cove. That would be bound to irritate somebody, because it was right around twilight, and people might even be going to bed around now. The King of Red Lions just wobbled in the water, rearing his head back in surprise.

"Hoo, he runs fast," Midna chuckled. "Just like Twinkles when she's mad!"

A furious, muted thumping came from Link's pocket, and Link surmised that Navi had slammed her fist against the glass wall. Midna ignored Navi's efforts.

"Late reaction time, though," Reoh-Link pointed out, high-fiving Midna all the same. "You'd think he could have reacted maybe a little faster than that."

"What was that for?!" Link demanded.

"Midna doesn't intend to hide out in my shadow for the rest of her life and I don't think Navi wants to stay in that bottle any longer, anyway." Reoh-Link shrugged, his face turned to Link but his eyes averted towards Midna. "Midna's already shown herself back in Forsaken Fortress. He was bound to ask eventually, right?"

Insistent rattling interrupted Link's answer, so Link just let it go and brought Navi out, who zipped dangerously around until she regained her balance. Being stuck for long periods of time without flying was bad for her balance. "Hey, about time!" Navi cried. "I thought I was going to die in there!"

"Is that a fairy?" The King of Red Lions observed Navi with interest.

"Yep!" Navi came to a standstill in front of the King of Red Lions, hovering just beyond his nose so the King of Red Lions went slightly cross-eyed. She said enthusiastically, "I'm Navi the fairy, pleased to meet you!"

"Navi…?" the King of Red Lions repeated, an expression on his face that Link couldn't quite read. Was it confusion, realization, suspicion, trust, or all? Was it neither? "…Navi. Well, Navi the fairy, pleased to meet you too."

"The polite atmosphere is killing me," Reoh-Link whispered to Midna, who cackled.

Link ignored that one, too, and poked his head around the corner, watching the kid literally quiver in fear. "You can come back, you know. She's not really going to drink your blood."

"Yes, she is!" Kid-Link insisted, crouching in the abandoned flowers. "She'll suck my eyeballs out, too, just like the Likelikes Grandma talks about!"

"Likelikes take shields, not eyeballs."

"And Uncle Abe says that Likelikes don't exist at all."

Link shook his head, rubbing his temples. The encrypted response was rejected by his tried brain. "Whatever, but come back eventually."

"Where is he?" the King of Red Lions asked, worried.

"He's right outside. I think Midna just gave him an initial shock." Link glared slightly at Midna, who completely ignored him.

"Yes, about that…" The King of Red Lions watched Midna suspiciously. "Who are you?"

"Midna," she replied, leaning back in the air. "I'm the creepy imp, the only person with a sense of humor around here other than my servant, wolf-boy. I'm not going to kill anybody here, if that's what you're wondering. I prefer to think of myself as sane." Midna giggled, "And before you ask, I'm a Twili. You'd have no idea what a Twili is if I told you and I'm not in the mood to explain right now anyway, so don't ask. Just know that nobody's limbs are coming off." She giggled her musical laugh again, sending slight shivers down Link's spine.

The King of Red Lions turned to Navi. "Does she speak truth? Is she an ally?"

"I haven't seen her kill anybody yet," Navi muttered, buzzing her wings. "_Yet_."

Reoh-Link glanced at Midna, who shrugged. Link knew what they were thinking: It had been Midna who had killed Zant, something that Navi didn't know. At least he'd been the enemy.

Link was completely ignoring everything going on and unloading everything out of the paper bag onto the sand. "Midna, can I have my stuff back?"

"You don't have anything in here, though," she pointed out as she hurled it, unnecessarily hard, at Link's face. He caught it anyway. "Nothing really important, at least."

"And how do you know that?" Link narrowed his eyes.

"'Cause I looked. Obviously."

Link sighed for what felt like the tenth time that day as the King of Red Lions stared curiously at the pouch that Link held, then at the one that Reoh-Link now had back. He made no comment on it, even though Link knew he must be connecting the dots to the one that Kid-Link had.

"Anyway," Link grumbled, "I've never really traveled in a group before, so I suppose we'll need to divide up the responsibilities." He eyed the boat nervously. "I suppose the kid will have to be in charge of all sailing and all that… Neither Reoh or I can do…anything, really, on a boat."

The King of Red Lions got out, "Then perhaps you should stay behind entirely—" before both Reoh-Link and Link glared at him in unision, united for a single moment against the boat, before glaring at each for being united in the first place. Reoh-Link averted his eyes after a second, though, snapping back to the boat.

"We're coming with you," Reoh-Link growled.

"We're coming with you," Link echoed, but taking care to say it in a more polite manner.

The King of Red Lions glanced from Reoh-Link, who seemed to be slightly embarrassed by his anger display, to Midna, who was supposedly sleeping upside-down, to Link, watching the boat with determination, and finally stopping on Navi, who anxiously hovered near Link. "…I suppose."

Link smiled slightly, before continuing, "There's several things that need to be taken care of. For inventory, we can all keep track of on our own." I can definitely keep my own inventory, thought Link. He didn't want Midna going through his stuff anymore, even if yes, there wasn't much in there. "There's finances, which I currently hold the bulk of, if not the entirety of. The kid doesn't have any rupees, does he?" Link asked Reoh-Link.

Reoh-Link stared at the wall off to his left instead of at Link. "Not that I know of."

"Then I'll just continue to take care of the money, since it's mine, anyway. There's also an issue of rations…" Link poked through the pile of wrapped dried foods.

"I can do that," Reoh-Link volunteered, eyes still firmly locked on the wall. "Since you're taking care of the money and the kid's doing the sailing stuff, I can—"

"But I don't trust you," Link stated flatly. "I'm not letting you take care of something that important."

Midna laughed while Reoh-Link sulked and Link tried to think who else he'd trust enough to take care of the food. Turned out nobody made the cut other than himself.

Not even Navi? a voice asked. Your partner who's been with you through thick and thin?

Comeback was even easier than easy, just as it had always been. What thick and thin? She left.

"I'm back!" Kid-Link cried, coming around the corner.

"What do you mean, you're back?" Reoh-Link asked suspiciously.

"Nothing—Wow, it's a floaty light! With wings!"

"I'm not a floaty light," Navi huffed, miffed at the assumption. "I am Navi the fairy!"

"Oh." Kid-Link smiled guiltily. "I'm sorry. I've never seen a fairy before. Hi, Miss Fairy." Kid-Link nervously edged farther away from Midna. "And…oh yeah, I forgot about you…"

"The only reason you came back was because you _forgot_ I was here?" Midna laughed. "I feel so honored!"

"She's not going to eat you," Link droned tiredly. Why, why must he get stuck with these two hyperactive, immature idiots? Link eyed Reoh-Link, before telling himself, Make that _three_ immature idiots.

Kid-Link began to go through the pile of food, examining it. Link almost felt like he was inspecting what Link had done, making sure with his own eyes that everything was in order. It was taking far too long for it to just be a quick check to make sure it was fine. It was as if he was examining every single piece, like he didn't trust Link to have done it right.

"Mm… Seems about right. Good-night, Emit, Reoh, Mr. King of Red Lions, Miss Fairy, and…"

"Midna."

"Good-night, Miss Midna."

"Drop the title. I've had enough of that honorific title junk."

"Um, okay… Anyway, g'night!" Kid-Link flopped down on the sand in the middle of the cove's bend, curling up on his side and facing away from them. Almost immediately, his breathing slowed, showing that he was asleep. He didn't move again, so Link finally breathed a sigh of relief. It'd been hard to wrangle that kid around the town…

Link didn't especially need the sleep, but he decided that he might as well sleep early. He was going back on the road—Link's heart sped up a little—and preparation was key.

He snorted. Preparation had always been his motto as the Hero of Time, fighting to save Hyrule, but then again, he'd only been in charge of himself and Navi, who was perfectly capable of taking care of herself, really. Here, he had to take care of himself, Navi, a sadistic imp, a naïve spazz, a lying jerk, and a talking boat.

Hopefully this wouldn't be too painful…

--

Link had some sort of instant-sleep ability, but tonight, he couldn't sleep at all. His eyes stayed pinned open, mind racing, waiting…and waiting…

One…two…three… He started to count, with one count for every heartbeat—ba-_bump_, four, ba-_bump_, five_…_

He was at one thousand, nine-hundred and two when he rolled to his other side. Link silently pushed himself up so he was sitting, curling his legs in to hug them close to his chest. It was cold at night, especially without the warmth of the sleeping quarters on the pirate ship or Aryll's body heat next to him. Heck, he didn't even the hammocks in the pirate ship. Just him, the ground, and everybody else around him.

Unfortunately, he'd just reminded himself of his own situation. He was surrounded by these people, all alone in a vast world that was so new and interesting…yet so dangerous and frightening.

The King of Red Lions had his eyes closed, but Link didn't know if it was even possible for boats to sleep. Emit and Reoh were both asleep, but far apart from each other. There was the King of Red Lions in the water that filled the U-shape, Emit on the left bank, Reoh on the right bank, and Link in the middle of the U bend. Navi rested on Emit's leg, but Midna was nowhere to be seen.

In the end, they were all separated, as if there were invisible walls between them. And in a way, they were.

It was simple—the King of Red Lions didn't trust Emit or Reoh, and as far as Link knew, the King of Red Lions didn't trust Link either. Reoh didn't trust Emit, Emit didn't trust Reoh.

And Link didn't trust any of them.

Green eyes studied the King of Red Lions, boring into the wooden neck as if he could somehow affect it with his eyes. The boat had saved him, told him he was to repeat the feat the Hero of Time had performed, and that was it? So then, how could the boat talk? Why had nobody ever heard of a talking boat before? Surely word of a talking boat would move quicker than the best sailor on the fastest boat could travel. And where had this boat come from? Why did the King of Red Lions want to help him? What were his motives? Did the King of Red Lions even speak the truth when he said he wanted to help? How did he know of the Hero of Time in the first place, since only the people on Outset really believed that the legend wasn't just a story?

Then he watched Emit and Reoh, the moon climbing higher and higher into the night, completely unnoticed. He couldn't help but stare at them, desperately groping for answers. He didn't know anything about them, only that they wanted to follow him for some reason. He didn't know their names, assuming Emit and Reoh were fakes. He didn't know where they came from or how they got to the Great Sea without a boat. He didn't know why monsters couldn't see them, because any explanation that came out of their mouths was likely a lie. He didn't know how they knew Ganondorf. He didn't even know why they wanted to follow him.

In short, he knew _nothing_ about any of them. He knew nothing but the fact that they had secrets. And not only did they have secrets, but they were capable of keeping them. Navi and Midna's existence had proven that to Link. So Link simply continued to stare in wide-eyed fascination, almost hypnotized.

And worse, Tetra had said, _"We can't question him, remember, Link? I said that already. He's our swabbie!"_ It had been complete torture biting his lip second after second, minute after minute, hour after hour, refusing to let himself ask about the imp in Forsaken Fortress. This law had been the same reason why Emit's glowing pocket, which must have been Navi, had never been brought up. Link had promised to abide by the rule that Tetra had set, not knowing that his curiosity would betray him. His cursed, beloved, insatiable curiosity…

Leaden weights on his eyelids forced them halfway closed, threatening to shut all the way. They would never have slipped even a fraction if the pull of sleep hadn't tugged them down. Everybody he was surrounded by were simply too mysterious for him to not watch with festering interest, for him to not be suspicious of, wary of, desperate to watch and constantly reassure that they weren't doing anything…_shady_…

The eyelids drooped lower.

How could he trust them if he knew nothing about them?

Easy—he couldn't.

His eyes rested closed against his will.

The memory of Tetra's words continued to play in his head: _"But then again, I also say that we play this like in a game of Fake Out, the rules being not to question our swabbie._

_"And you know how it goes: 'If you're going to cheat…'"_


	28. The Hole

Despite the fact that the boat was big enough to accommodate four people, Reoh insisted on sitting in the far corner with his legs scrunched up against his chest, seeming to dislike the fact that if he sat any other way, his legs would brush against all the others' legs. It was a precarious and extremely uncomfortable position, because sitting like that for so long would give cramps and there was very little balance, so Reoh might even fall off the boat. Link took note of that as he took off his boots and rolled up the leggings past his knees because of the water that Link knew would gather in the cockpit due to spray. Emit shot Reoh an annoyed glare for a fleeting second when Reoh adopted that position, a disapproving stare just long enough to exist before disappearing as if it had never been, and Link took note of that too. When Reoh carefully avoided Emit's gaze by staring at anything at all, Link took note of that. Sturgeon had always said that his memory was a miracle, but only now did Link fully appreciate it. And it was fun.

It continued on this way for the entire silent sailing trip, with frosty tension building between Emit and Reoh. No words were spoken, not even glares were shot, but it was all in the body language. Emit would stare off to the sea, lost in thought with his eyes unfocused, but clearly his mind was sharp and thinking about something. Link tried not to guess what it was, because it would be too frustrating with no clues. Reoh, on the other hand, was agitated by the lack of movement and fidgeted every couple minutes. But whenever Emit's gaze traveled near Reoh, both would stiffen just a little. Reoh's lips would tighten a smidgeon and his eyes narrow a bit even though he wouldn't look at Emit, and Emit's face would grow harder before turning away again. Then once again Reoh was back to fidgeting, Emit back to thinking, and Link back to wishing something else would happen. Somehow, Link preferred the relationship between Orca and Sturgeon—while they hated each other just as much as Emit and Reoh did, they were open, loud, and almost comically upfront about it. Here, things were uncomfortable, quiet, and tense.

The uncomfortable air was really getting to Link, causing him to become antsy throughout the entire trip and spend most of his time thinking about ways to break the silence. Link really wished that Tetra and Aryll were here. Tetra would know what to do about it, and Aryll probably lighten the mood without even trying, she was just that likeable. Link even hoped that the scary Midna would come out and do something completely random to break the ice, because she seemed the type to do something like that, but she didn't show, and Navi didn't do anything either. She'd just latched herself onto Emit's sleeve and stayed there, trembling in the buffering winds.

Of course, the trip wasn't without its perks. After all, he was on a boat on the sea with no island to have to return to or responsibilities waiting at home. Whenever he got on Orca's old sailboat, no matter how much he tried not to think about it, he would always know in the back of his mind that he would have to turn back eventually. Now that little weight wasn't there, and it felt absolutely great. Refreshing, almost. Exhilarating. Here, Link knew he was going to someplace new and exciting and not going back.

But after five hours, not even this wonder could comfort him for long. So at the sight of the island between Windfall Island and Dragon Roost, their destination, Link nearly fell off the boat in his glee, causing the boat to wobble precariously. "Look! It's the next island!" It was just a large smudge that Link hadn't noticed before, but it was relief from this tension. He fumbled with the latch on the pouch Orca had given him to get Aryll's telescope, but decided against it just as he got it open. What if he dropped it in the water? It would sink to the ocean floor, and if it could miraculously float, then it would get ruined by the water somehow. Aryll would never forgive him.

Reoh craned his neck to see around the mast, but Emit didn't really move. "What? An island? Really? We're not gonna die out here?"

"Everybody's going to die," Link told him with a mock serious face. "Just not now."

Navi stopped trembling and exclaimed, "That's a horrible mindset!" Link just shrugged, grinning again to show her that he hadn't meant any serious value to it. The words he'd just said weren't even his own. They were Aryll's.

The King of Red Lions stared up at the sky, noting the distance the sun had traveled. "It seems a little after midday, and we started around…eight o'clock. If we want to limit the time spent traveling at night, when the seas become dangerous, we shouldn't stop at this island and make haste to Dragon Roost Island. We shouldn't stay here overnight, for the delay would be too long."

"Mister King of Red Lions, just five minutes couldn't hurt, right?" Link begged. "Besides, something good might be here." Before the King of Red Lions could respond, Link went ahead and ordered, "Emit, unlatch the boom for me, will you? Reoh's a little busy with the mainsheet." Not really, because they were going right with the wind.

"Boom?" Emit repeated blankly. "I remember you telling me about a boom, but all I can remember is that it's a ship part that's long." He jerked a thumb at the mast and the boom. "Which one of these is the boom again?"

"The boom is the one that nearly sent you overboard about five minutes into the trip."

"Oh, that one." Emit checked Navi on his shoulder quickly before leaning over to the rope that tied the boom to the mast. "…Er, how do I undo this thing?"

The King of Red Lions groaned heavily, and Link gritted his teeth. Goddesses, that knot wasn't even that hard, either! But if they didn't get the boom down now, even if they did get it down and slowed, they'd coast right past the island, and Link wasn't turning down a chance to explore something. The island was close now. Too close.

"Quick, trade places with me. Don't move the tiller from its position." He offered Emit the tiller and clumsily switched with Emit so he could undo the boom. Once it was down and lying in the cockpit, he undid the mainsheet from the boom, too, so the sail flapped wildly in the wind, the loose mainsheet like a whip with a mind of it's own. When Reoh tried to snatch it back in an attempt to keep it from snapping at them anymore, Link shook his head. If Reoh did that, they'd start picking up wind again and Reoh would probably fall overboard. Instead, Link began to wrap the loose sail around the mast to secure it, Emit and Reoh watching with nothing to do as they began to slow down. Link would have to get them familiarized with the basics of sailing, definitely… But then again, he'd prefer to do everything himself than let them do it.

They practically crashed against the side of the island because they were still going too fast, but the King of Red Lions didn't seem to feel it. When Link apologized fervently, the King of Red Lions just laughed. "It is okay, Link. I'm tougher than that. I barely felt it."

Link still felt bad about it, though, and apologized one last time before realizing there wasn't a bowline to tie to a dock—not to mention that there was no dock to begin with—therefore leaving the boat to drift away. "Mister King of Red Lions, there's no…uh…"

"I'll be fine. I'm a talking boat, and I can take care of myself," the King of Red Lions pointed out. "Now, come back in five minutes, alright? Spend no more than that. Time is of the essence."

"Yessir." Link hopped easily to the rocky shore, Emit and Reoh following clumsily. _Please don't fall in the water,_ Link thought. _I don't think I'd be able to not laugh if that happened._ Already Link was chuckling at the thought.

The island was made of several levels, solid rock with grass and vegetation growing over its surface, covering it nicely. Four miniature islands were lined up by the main island, forming something like a pawprint in Link's mind as he imagined the bird's-eye view. A red postbox was stationed by the side, just like the one that sat by Link's house on Outset. And right smack in the middle, immediately drawing Link's eye, was a huge egg-thing.

"What is it?" Link asked, poking the blue stuff in the dome. It hurt his fingernail, so he tapped it with his sword, ignoring Emit's protest about sword treatment. It wasn't Ishek's sword, and it wasn't like Orca was going to pop out of the grass and reprimand him for tapping his sword against a rock. Link could hear that the dome was hollow, so he began trying to see through the blue stuff. He couldn't see through it, so Link just jogged around the rock, trying to figure it out. He crawled on his stomach, stood on his toes, even smelled the thing, thoroughly enjoying his exaggerated attempt to see what was with the obviously suspicious rock.

Link heard Reoh ask Emit quietly, "Was he this hyper on Windfall?"

"You think this is hyper?" Emit scoffed. "You've grossly underestimated him."

Link laughed a little to himself and squinted his eyes, peering into the grass. Bingo. Sticking his head through the tunnel in the rock, he could see that the entire dome really was hollow and there was a hole in the ground. Link tilted his head to his right. A hole? Interesting.

"Hey, Emit, Reoh! I found something!" Link gloated. "Aha!"

"Really," came a skeptical voice.

"Yeah! It's a hole in—"

"What? A _hole_? Really?" Link had no idea that either of them could move so fast. It was like one second they were on the other side of the rock, the next they were right beside him.

Navi shivered from the top of Emit's head. "A-A hole? Please, don't get him started…"

"Get who started?" Link cocked his head.

"L—Emit," Navi sighed. "This is going to take much longer than five minutes, I'll tell you that."

Both Emit and Reoh were ignoring her, their eyes shining with identical gleams. "I think we can fit," Reoh said, peering through the tunnel. "It might be tight, but it's big enough—"

"—And the kid will have no problem—"

"—When was the last time you found a hole—?"

"—Dunno—"

"—Coming back from Termina, probably—"

"—Must have been—"

"—Six whole years, I can't believe—"

"—Really? I hadn't noticed—"

"—Wasted time in my opinion, sitting on a boring roof all day—"

"Hello?" Link waved his hand in their face. "Excuse me?"

As if snapping out of a trance, they blinked and stared at him. Navi just sighed again.

"…Are holes really that great?" Link asked skeptically. They'd always seemed like two brothers who hated each other's guts, but here, it seemed they both agreed on something concerning holes. The identical eyes above the masks, while physically the same, had always had a different feel to each, with one being calm and determined and the other fierce and guarded. But here, both of them were exactly the same. It was unnerving.

In fact, from their bright expressions, it was like both elder teens had turned into…little children.

"Are holes—?" Reoh began to laugh, as if the question itself was incredulous. "Of course they're great!"

"Some of the best holes I ever found were on the way coming back from Termina," Emit sighed. "Pity that in Hyrule, the holes aren't as fun, even though there are some pretty good ones there too."

Termina? Hyrule?

Link's eyes narrowed and his ears twitched.

"Is that so…?"

Reoh nodded emphatically. "Seriously, nobody knows what they'll find down a hole, but that's the best part! There's some holes from where I come from too, and they've always got something interesting inside! Could be ReDeads, could be treasure, could be Poes—"

"—but no matter what's down there," Emit concluded excitedly, "there'll always be adventure! Holes are practically the symbol of all things fun and adventurous!"

Now, that sounded like fun! "I call first!" Link cheered, already infected by their enthusiasm.

"Wait!" the King of Red Lions' voice called from the water. "We have to keep going! There is no time to waste!"

_Party pooper,_ Link thought ruefully. "Just a sec!" Link yelled back. "We won't take long!"

"The world depends on our swiftness!"

Reoh snickered, watching as Link crouched and ignored the King of Red Lions. Link shouted, "Eh, the world can wait! I'm going into the hole!"

"The longer you take," the King of Red Lions warned, "the longer your sister will be stuck in captivity!"

Link froze.

"Sir," Emit frowned, "that was dirty."

"Let the kid do what he wants," Reoh called. To Link, he said, "Go on, kid. If you want to check the hole out, go check it out."

"N-No." Link shook his head, straightening. "He's right. I should be hurrying for Aryll—"

"We know you'll regret it," Reoh interrupted.

Before Link could retort, Emit explained, "Honestly, it's pretty obvious your curiosity would never forgive you if you didn't check it out."

Link suddenly had to study his feet. They were totally right… He _would_ regret it if he didn't go down the hole… He might never come back to this hole in his life. It was such a stupid reaction, but Link would probably always wonder what was down that hole, and it would be so painful if he had to wonder that for the rest of his life.

Did he really want to live regretting something?

But he'd regret it if he made Aryll wait.

Link chewed his lip. Stupid lose-lose situation…

After a silence, Link chuckled softly, "You know, Emit, Reoh, you two are a lot alike sometimes."

Emit and Reoh stared at each other, identical noses wrinkled, then turning to Link before demanding in accidental perfect unison, "Do you have any idea how insulting that is?!"

Link laughed weakly. "But anyway, I think Mister King of Red Lions is right, so we'll just leave…the hole…" His voice was unbearably conflicted, cracking in places.

Reoh rolled his eyes. "Yes, yes, the sister is waiting, so we have to hurry. No time to eat, sleep, breathe, pee—"

"I never said that!" Link huffed as Emit laughed with Reoh, creeping Link out even more. Since when did Emit laugh at any joke Reoh said? "But I'm not going to make Aryll wait. Aryll or Tetra. I have to find both."

"Right," Reoh sighed, running his hands through his hair, smiling slightly. "When you rescue them, and they ask why you took ten minutes longer to rescue them than you should, you can say that we forced you down a hole. Therefore, it wasn't your fault."

"Wha—?" was all Link got out before Reoh and Emit each grabbed one of his arms and stuffed him through the tunnel. Link popped out the other side inside the dome, just a foot from the hole, slightly shocked.

"You don't have to wait for us! You can go down ahead of us!" Emit called cheerfully. "Unless you'd like us to throw you down the hole, too!"

--

"You see this?" Emit declared, gesturing around them to the green forest-like world down the hole. "You know what this place is?"

"No. What?" Link asked with genuine curiosity, already getting over his initial irritation at being forced away from Aryll.

"I don't know what it is. So I can't tell you."

Link just stared blankly at Emit, who crossed his arms, grinning. "…And the point of that was…?"

Reoh answered for Emit. "The point is that is because he doesn't know what the hell it is, it's adventure! It's new, and all things that are new are adventure in their own right."

"Exactly!" Emit bounced on his toes, more excited than Link had ever seen him. "Let's go have fun!"

So with eyes wide and curiosity tingling, Link was led down a tunnel by the joined forces of Emit and Reoh to whatever awaited him. This was the first time he'd ever ignored his sister in need.

And that was new. Maybe that made it adventure in it's own right.

And wasn't adventure fun?

The black cloud of confusion scrambled Link's thoughts.

--

Link crawled back through the tunnel into the sunlight, completely drained. The rush of adrenaline had disappeared, leaving him tired and even more confused. There had been six ChuChus down there, and instead of waiting for anybody to tell him, he'd simply cut through them all…

Yet why was he smiling? Why was there a tight feeling in his chest, a certain joy bubbling there, threatening to burst? Despite the fact that ChuChu slime clung to his sword, the adventure had been _fun_. It was a new kind of fun, not the kind that Link felt when he played an old game he'd been playing since his birth. This was something a little dangerous, a little scary, something that—just as Emit had said—he had no idea what it was, and that somehow made it so much more fun than anything else he'd ever felt.

It was very entertaining to try and describe the feeling "adventure" gave Link. Maybe it was so unique it was indescribable.

Link's happy grin grew wider and as he meandered back towards the boat, his step had an extra spring. Perhaps he wasn't as tired as he'd initially thought. He squinted in the bright sun, his eyes still transitioning from the dim lighting down the hole and the sharp light up here. He listened to the ocean and its familiar lapping, mulling over everything in his mind, ignoring the black cloud and everything in it's domain. Too troublesome at the moment.

"See? That was definitely not worth missing," Reoh crowed from behind. "That was an exceptionally good one, though—" He cut himself off, eyes narrowing. "Hang on, I think I left my bag up there…"

Just as Reoh began to turn back towards the dome, Emit whispered under his breath, "Irresponsible…"

"What's your problem?" Reoh snapped, wheeling around, bristling with anger already.

Emit shot back, "I'm only speaking truth! You do have a tendency to be irrespon—"

Link whined, "Just stop fighting…"

"He started it," they insisted together. Link giggled in response as Reoh stalked away, harrumphing as he went.

The King of Red Lions stared sternly as Link and Emit approached, causing Link to wince a little sheepishly. They'd only spent twenty minutes or so, but it still hadn't been anywhere near the promised five minute time limit. "This is no game, you three. The fate of the world hangs in the balance."

"Yessir," Link intoned, grunting a little as he jammed the boom back in its place, "and it's very important that we keep moving." He barely refrained from adding, "Blah, blah, blah," at the end of his sentence. The hole had definitely been worth it—

No! Nothing was worth making Aryll wait.

Was there?

Of course not.

Really? Nothing at all?

The confusion grew, making Link hesitate as he threaded the mainsheet back through the boom.

"Are you taking any of this seriously?" the King of Red Lions demanded. "You took much longer than five minutes!"

Link blinked but didn't look up. "Yeah, I know. Hey, how long did we spend down there, exactly?"

"An hour," the King of Red Lions replied stiffly.

Link's head shot up, clipping his ear against the boom. "S-Seriously?" Link cried. He hadn't thought it would be _that_ bad! He glanced up at the sun, and yes, it had moved quite a bit. Gaping, he turned from the King of Red Lions, who stared irritably back, to Emit behind him, who just shrugged. "Ah, er, ehe, well…" He sheepishly scratched the back of his neck. "Sorry…"

Inside, he kicked himself. How could he have wasted so much time when Aryll was waiting?! Stupid, stupid, stupid…

"I heard you all. All three of you were whooping and hollering down there, being irresponsible, when we should have been going to Dragon Roost Island," the King of Red Lions growled.

"We weren't whooping and hollering," Emit defended.

"You kind of were," Link whispered, stepping out of the boat.

Emit just gave him a blank look. "That must have been Reoh, then." He pointed over his shoulder at Reoh, who had just come back from fetching his bag.

"What about me?" Reoh demanded.

"It was when we were trying to blow up the rocks down there with Reoh's bombs," Link clarified, stifling giggles. "And while Reoh was yelling, you were too, Emit. You were jumping all over the place. And _you_ call _me_ hyper."

Navi hissed in Emit's ear, "No offense, but you got really, really carried away."

Reoh snickered as Emit stood there, frozen, and while Link couldn't see all of his face, his eyes steadily grew more and more mortified with each passing second. Mesa once told Link about how he'd gotten so drunk one night he couldn't even remember what he'd done at that time, and when people told him about all the insane things he'd done, he couldn't show his face for a week without feeling completely horrified. Probably the same thing was going on right now in Emit's head.

So Link simply smiled innocently and pointed out, "Emit, your ears are getting sunburned."

Reoh roared with outright laughter at that one. "Yeah, Emit, you're getting _sunburned_!" Emit shot him another glare, causing Reoh's cackles to increase. It should have been good-natured teasing, but somehow Link detected a slight resentful edge to it.

"This isn't funny!" the King of Red Lions interrupted. "In the worst case scenario, everybody will die!"

Reoh shut up and everybody turned towards the boat. Sensing that he'd gotten their attention, the boat continued, "Link here isn't treating the situation with its full gravity! In fact, none of you are! You treat this like this is all just a big game!" His blue eyes set on Emit, narrowed in displeasure. "I'm very disappointed in you especially, Emit. I thought you were a responsible young man."

Emit's eyes smiled slightly, even though his head was still slightly ducked from embarrassment. "What can I say, sir?" said Emit as he shrugged. "It's a hole. And holes are fun."

_Seriously, nobody knows what they'll find down a hole, but that's the best part!_

Yes, Link mutely agreed. Holes were fun.

…_But no matter what's down there, there'll always be adventure!_


	29. Puppeteer's Baton

It seems that most people seem to forget that the little baton in the Wind Waker is two words. The baton itself is called the Wind Waker, using two separate words. The person, as in the waker of the winds, is also called the Wind Waker, also with two words. The game itself, called the Wind Waker, is two words. Some writers use the term "Windwaker" and I'm sorely tempted to join them. Writing Wind Waker as two words is kind of annoying. Yet at the same time, this is coming from the person who intends to keep writing the phrase "King of Red Lions" for the entire story. And somehow I'm not bothered by _his_ name.

Okay, I know that this is a really early update. I actually updated four days after the last, like how I used to! That _never_ happens! But the last chapter pissed me off so badly that I had to cover it up quickly with something I like better. (While the last chapter wasn't something I wanted to include, it was necessary. Gotta do what I gotta do. Other people may have liked it, but my personal opinion isn't very high of happy things. Happy things written by me, anyway.)

Therefore, I present early chapter twenty-nine—a chapter I like much better—in which I pretty much_ throw the entire story into the deep dark hole of angst._

--

In the end, they didn't make it to Dragon Roost that day. They had to turn back and camp for the night at the island with the hole. Link had no problem with it, enjoying his time on solid ground, but Emit-Link and the kid obviously didn't like the idea. Probably Emit-Link was thinking of Ganondorf, while the kid was thinking of all the time he was wasting when he could be rescuing, or getting closer to, rescuing, his sister. The King of Red Lions didn't like the prospect either, but he was the one who had pointed out that traveling at night was dangerous business.

But either way, they all situated themselves on a separate part of the island and they each weathered alone what was definitely a cold night.

--

Navi woke up exactly at dawn, just like every other day. It was a habit that she really couldn't shake loose, something that had originated way back at the Kokiri Forest, even though the sun was barely visible there. Regardless of what had happened the night before, she would always wake up at dawn. She was actually quite thankful for it, though. It was her morning duty to beat those _things_.

She shook her head, trying to clear the wisps of fog from her mind, and squinted at the sky. The sky was blue. The clouds were a lighter shade of blue. She looked at the grass. It was turquoise. The rock in the middle of the island was a gray-blue. And behind the rock, the sun was a nasty shade of green so dark it was almost brown. Turning to the figure next to her, a person vast and towering compared to her, she saw Link, his breathing slow and gentle. His blue shirt was simply blue, but his fair skin had a blue film and his hair was green. She wondered what his real hair color was, since the exact shade of blonde was obscured to her and up to her imagination. She'd probably never know.

Her wings already fluttering, lifting her from her spot on the grass, she prepared for the morning struggle. Navi eyed the disgusting green blob in the sky that the Hylians called the sun. It was approximately six in the morning. Navi had automatically recorded the time that Link had fallen asleep yesterday: midnight. He'd been asleep for…six hours. Navi's eyes widened as she realized what this meant and mentally cursed herself. She should have woken up sooner! If he didn't wake up _now_, then the _things_ would come. They prowled between hours six and nine, although sometimes they came earlier. But if she could help it, they wouldn't ever get him.

"Hey! Get up!" she shrilled in his ear, slightly panicked, and flitted to the left to avoid the hand she knew was coming. She always hoped that the slap that had been intended for her would wake him up when it hit his own ear instead of her, but after all these years, still no luck. "You're so lazy! Let's go! Up! Now!"

"Don't wanna…"

Navi rolled her eyes and slammed her body as hard as she could into his shoulder. He didn't move, and Navi knew that he'd probably barely felt it. So instead, she opted for her usual tactic, perching herself on the edge of his jaw—a rather enjoyable spot now that he was wearing this mask thing day and night—and jabbering away and anything and everything she could think of into his ear: "Listen, back at Windfall, don't you think it was a lot like Kakariko? There was the windmill like in Kakariko, it's a town, and Kakariko's a town. There's more merchants in Windfall, but that's okay. Still pretty similar, yeah? Hey, what do you think happened to that small neighboring place? What was it called? Calatia? Yeah, that was it. And what about Termina? Ooh, never mind Termina, what about that cloud over there? Wow, I sounded a lot like Tatl right there…but still, isn't it pretty? It kind of looks like a donut. And that reminds me! Listen, your earring is really dirty. I think you should clean it sometime. Or maybe take it off. People can get infections from earrings, and you can't get an infection. I won't let you get an infection. And if you don't take it off to give your poor ears a break sometimes, I'll bug you until you do, because that's my job. And aren't earrings really dangerous? They have these long metal sticks that go through your ears…kind of like the stinger of that bee over there, Link. You're gonna get stung if you don't move—oh wait, people don't get stung if they're staying still. And you are very still right now. Well then, _I'll_ get stung, and that would be bad, because that stinger looks like the size of my arm. Hey, it'd be like if a sword stabbed you, you know? It'd be really dangerous for me to get stung by a bee because I'm so small. But maybe I'm not that small. Probably the stinger is only the size of half my arm, or maybe less. But I'm not going to go over there and check, because that would be dangerous. But you do loads of dangerous things all the time, right? Or you used to. Now you just sit on that roof. Sometimes you still do when I bug you enough, but most of the time you're in Castle Town. Listen, someday you're gonna have to give that way of life up and get married, you know? Settle down and all that. In fact, you're nearly old enough to get married. In just a year or two you'll be eligible, not that it would be really surprising if you got married now, because some people do get married at eighteen. When we get back to Hyrule, instead of sitting on that roof all day, I think you should check out some girls. Starting with Malon. She seems nice, you know? You can talk about Epona with her and get to know her that way. Oh, and about Epona? I think you should bail Epona out and go buy her. Nobody else can ride her except you and Malon, so you should probably just go over there, do Epona a favor, and buy her. And use her. It'd be good for both of you—"

"'Kay, 'kay, 'm up," Link mumbled, squeezing his eyes tighter. "Stop…" Then he rolled over onto his face, causing Navi to have to hover again and stare disapprovingly down at him lying facedown in the grass.

"No, I'm _not_ going to stop until you sit up." She was sorely tempted to just yell something like, "Hey Link, look out, it's a Wallmaster!" and watch him snap to attention, but the last time she'd done that, the result had been an awake but slightly sour Link. So Navi took a deep breath and started again: "It'd be good for both of you, you know why? Both of you are kind of cooped up and all. Epona would probably enjoy a chance to stretch her legs out in Hyrule Field, and you hardly ever—"

Link groaned and pushed himself up to a sitting position, eyes closed and looking thoroughly asleep even though he was sitting. Navi nodded approvingly, even though the gesture was obscured by her glow. Talking was very effective, Navi noted with a relieved smile, and it hadn't failed her yet.

After a moment of just sitting in an attempt to get his brain working again, Link opened his eyes blearily and muttered, "Do me a favor and check if that other guy's awake? Er…Reoh? And maybe the kid, too."

"If I leave," Navi warned, "you have to promise not to fall asleep again." She hovered by his face, staring skeptically into his blue eyes. Navi wondered if those eyes were really the shade of blue she saw them as. If they were a little darker or lighter than her own glow, she wouldn't know, because the color would always be influenced by her own light.

"Won't fall 'sleep." He rubbed his eyes and yawned, and Navi smiled again. In the mornings he was always so adorable even though he was so old now. Navi guessed that mothers must feel like this. Oddly enough, Link was older in years than she was.

"You better not." Shrugging, Navi zipped around the island, making her way through buffering winds. On these islands, Navi noticed, the winds were a lot stronger, thus making it harder to fly. Regardless, she found Reoh-Link on the other side. She didn't really care how she approached this new task, so she sucked in a deep breath and shouted, "Hey, wake up!"

Navi squeaked as he sat bolt upright, still half-asleep, yelling, "Fado again!? Just keep the gate—!" Then he opened his eyes and squinted at Navi. "Oh. Never mind."

"You talk weird when you're dazed," Navi said curiously. "Kind of like an accent…" Now that she thought about it, back on the pirate ship and he'd been hallucinating, what she'd assumed was a slur from the sickness was actually this same accent.

"Ordon accent," Reoh-Link sighed, scratching his head grumpily. "I got rid of it, but it still comes out sometimes."

"Good to know…?" Navi shrugged again. That had been way easier than waking her own Link. Besides, she didn't think she had anything more to talk about. She ran out sometimes so she was reduced to repeating the same phrase to literally annoy Link awake. "Anyway, it's time to go! We have to get to the next island!"

"Yaddahyaddah," Reoh-Link mumbled. "Don't worry, I'm up."

Navi wouldn't have insisted on him waking up unless Link told her to get him up. She'd only been told to _see_ if he was awake. She'd gone further than she'd had to because she'd only wanted to be helpful to Link, and "helpful" would probably have been at least taking a stab at getting Reoh-Link awake. If, on the other hand, Link had told her to wake him up, she would have sat here until she was absolutely dead certain that he wasn't going to fall back asleep. So Navi just rolled her eyes and navigated her way through the winds again, really wishing she could find a piece of grass or twine right around now to hold her hair in place. Even though she couldn't see it, she knew it must be a dreadful tangle of knots. And even if she was a fairy, she was still a girl.

Interestingly enough, even after a circuit of the island, she couldn't find the kid. Immediately she guessed that he must be hiding inside the dome. After flying carefully through the tunnel to make sure her wings didn't get clipped, she found the kid sprawled on the ground, snoring quietly. She actually stood with her own two legs this time instead of hovering, peering into his face. She crossed her arms, wondering how to approach this, before just opting for what she'd done with the other two, which was yelling, "Wake up, Link!" Wow, that felt weird. Calling somebody else by Link's name was just…odd.

Navi waited for a second, but when he didn't move, Navi slapped her hand to her head and realized that he was a hard sleeper, too. "Noooo…" she moaned. Doing it once had been enough! "Wake up! Seriously!" she cried in his ear, and he actually opened his eyes a little and lifted his head. He sat up, eyes half-closed, and Navi waited for a reaction. Yet, still nothing happened. He just sat there like a zombie, not even moving. "…Hello?"

He jumped, as if noticing she was there for the first time. "Uh, sorry, Miss Fairy, I usually sleep a lot more than this." He smiled apologetically.

Navi shook out her wings indignantly and took to hovering again. "Huh. How long do you usually sleep?" Navi asked.

"Um… Dunno… Thirteen hours, maybe?"

Navi nearly fell right back out of the air. Thirteen hours?!

"Usually from," he yawned, pausing in the middle of his sentence, "eight at night to nine in the morning. Or ten. Aryll gets up at eight. And then draws things on my face. Or are you talking about the pirate ship? On the ship, I just sleep whenever I can." His eyes blinked a little, showing bright turquoise eyes. They were green in reality, Navi knew.

_Kiss those long hours good-bye,_ Navi thought. _Link used to be like you until he realized that getting jumped by Stalchildren wasn't fun._ Because of those Stalchildren, it had been hard-wired into Link to get up _now_ if there's an enemy.

"I'll be right out," the kid sighed, stretching like a cat. "Just gotta wake up, y'know?"

Navi cocked her head, disbelieving, but she just shrugged it off again and went immediately back to Link, who thankfully wasn't asleep and appeared only a little tired. "Was Reoh awake?"

"No," she answered, and Link snapped to full awareness. "Why?"

Link shook his head. "Knowing him, he fell asleep past midnight, so around one would be a good guess. It's around six right now, so he got five hours of sleep."

Navi gasped. "T-That's horrible! If that ever happened to you, I'd scold you for staying up so late! It's unhealthy to sleep so little—"

"Nah," Link interrupted. "That's oversleeping. I'm kind of worried he's sleeping too much because his health still isn't all that great."

Navi just kind of stared in shock. _Oversleeping_?! Was he _insane_?!

"No matter when he goes to sleep, he will wake up at five without fail," Link sighed. "It doesn't matter how long he sleeps. Kind of like you. Ever since he became an official ranch hand at thirteen, he stays up late until midnight and gets up at five to prep the ranch for the goats. Then he does…just random things, really, between his shifts unless Fado, the guy who runs most of the ranch, messes up and he has to help Fado. Then later, he repeats by staying up late and getting up early." He eyed her, whose wings had stopped in mid-beat, and commented dryly, "I'll assume you're imagining all the horrible side effects lack of sleep could do to a teenager still growing?"

Her nod was rendered useless by her own light, which blocked any movements she made from being seen. It sounded ridiculously motherly to view it this way, but she couldn't help thinking of all the growth, health, and mental problems that could cause. Navi couldn't believe that Reoh-Link wasn't dead yet, whatwith Midna's abuse, the Hero job, and lack of sleep. Reoh-Link should be a wreck by now.

Of course, Navi laughed inwardly, all Heroes are delicate wrecks. It didn't seem possible to not be.

Link stretched a little, gazing off in the direction the next island was. "Remind me to ask a doctor on the next island what's going on," Link said, rubbing his face.

"Uh…sure!" Navi replied cheerfully. Link smiled absently, silently thanking her.

Ah, the feeling of being needed—sweet, poisonous drug.

--

When Quill tried to take his weekly share of letters—a couple dozen or so random letters from the pile in the top-left box, the one with the red swirly sign on it, leaving the rest to the other postmen who had been assigned to taking care of the letters in that box—Koboli shook his head and handed Quill a single letter instead. "Ilari's taking care of your share this week," Koboli explained with a shrug, barely lifting his head from his letter-sorting. "You get the week off. Apparently, the letter has something to do with it."

Quill raised an eyebrow but wordlessly opened the letter, showing no surprise at the fact that it was from the chieftain himself.

_Quill,_

_I would like to see you in my study._

_The Chieftain_

Quill didn't really notice Pashli until he was right behind him, giving Pashli enough time to read the message. Pashli sympathetically patted Quill's shoulder. "It's an honor, right?" Pashli said with slightly forced cheer. "You should be happy that the chieftain trusts you so much, especially at such a young age."

Nodding, Quill folded the letter as Pashli hurried away to his next errand, ever the busy one. He opted for walking up the ramp instead of flying, because this was the first day of the week, meaning that today was the busiest day. Dozens of postmen rushing through the Rito Hall, on air or on foot, were trying to get to Koboli's counter first to take their assigned amount of letters from the box they were assigned to. Most opted for air—they _were_ Ritos, after all—leaving the walkways slightly less crowded. Past the take-off platforms and the storage rooms, going all the way to the top, in fact, there was a closed door, which Quill stopped at. Everybody knew that this was the chieftain's study, reserved for the chieftain. Quill knocked as quietly as he could, trying not to be heard. What was the point of knocking so quietly that nobody could hear, though? Quill reminded himself of what Pashli had just told him: It was supposed to be an honor.

The door cracked opened anyway, and Skett's beak poked out the small opening. Quill refrained from sighing, knowing that this would take a while if he had to deal with Skett and Akoot. An audible sigh came from behind the door, probably from the chieftain himself. Not even the chieftain could get them to stop their blatant over-protectiveness. "Oh?" Skett blinked in surprise at the unexpected face. He whispered, "This is the chieftain's study, Quill. Not only are you not a counsel member, the only other Ritos allowed here other than the chieftain, the young master, or the great Valoo's attendant, you're not nearly old enough to be a member in the first place. Am I correct or am I correct, Akoot?"

On cue, Akoot's face joined Skett's in the opening, and Akoot breathed, "You are absolutely correct, Skett. You, Quill, are only twenty-three, and is the age minimum not forty or so?"

"I believe it was thirty."

"But you never listen to anything that goes on in the meetings, Skett."

"You must be referring to yourself. I, unlike you, Akoot, am very attentive."

Before Akoot could reply, Quill interrupted, "Really, please just let me in. The chieftain is in there, yes?"

"Depends on who is asking," Skett said airily. "We are to protect the chieftain—"

"I'm asking."

"Quite obviously, Skett. Are you daft?" Akoot hissed softly.

"I absolutely am not. However, yes, he _is_ inside," Skett replied grudgingly. "But unless the chieftain specifically requested that you be here—"

Quill whipped out the letter and unfolded it. Skett and Akoot paused. "That…is the chieftain's handwriting, is it not, Skett?" Akoot said hesitantly.

"I believe it is," Skett confirmed. "Well, I suppose we shall have to let him in, won't we?"

"I suppose we shall." Finally, Akoot opened the door and Quill stepped inside the sparsely decorated room, leaving Skett to close the door behind him.

There was a desk in the middle, at which the chieftain was seated. The desk was bare save a pen, a blank piece of paper, and a framed picture of the young prince, although Quill could see a huge wooden cabinet behind containing vast amounts of paperwork. There was a rug and a small window behind the desk, showing the ocean. That was all. Quill was impressed, just like every other time he'd been in here. The chieftain knew the importance of efficiency, and sustained that belief throughout whatever times there were. Even if there was more paperwork now than ever before.

"Have a seat," the chieftain offered, gesturing to the chair in front of the desk. Quill complied, but he kept to the very edge of the seat. "I am sure," the chieftain said quietly, "you have heard the news of the great Lord Valoo?"

Although it wasn't exactly broadcasted news—on the contrary, the counselors had tried to keep it low-key—Quill had already picked the situation up from Bisht and Basht, who were always frank about such things. They may be the police force, but they had always been so honest and never ones to keep secrets, especially about important things like this that they felt everybody deserved to know. Quill replied smoothly, "Indeed. What of it?"

"Two things, actually." The chieftain rubbed his beak worriedly. "While multiple Ritos are sent daily to the peak of Dragon Roost, I fear they do not conduct proper searches due to the great Valoo's rage. It _is_ rather hard to get close to an angry sky god," the chieftain added wryly. "I ask of you a favor: would you venture to the peak for me?"

Quill nodded readily. "Of course." Quill didn't exactly see the point, because if the attendant, a girl named Medli, couldn't figure it out, then probably nobody could. But Quill wasn't going to say that.

"Thank you," the chieftain said, his relief evident. "Second. Would you give this letter to Medli? It is for Komali." The chieftain's eyes flicked to the picture of the prince and back as he pulled a letter from a drawer in his desk.

With the amount of dealings Quill had with the chieftain—an unusually high amount, not to mention how young Quill was—Quill knew all about the chieftain's rocky relationship with his son. "Pardon my rudeness, chieftain, I don't see why you can't just give it to him yourself."

"I'm the last person he'll listen to now," the chieftain admitted. "Medli has a much better chance than I. If I were to hand this letter to him, he'd probably burn it."

Quill took the letter with amusement and left at the chieftain's dismissal. The prince would do no such thing. The prince would probably scrunch it up into a ball, throw it away, perhaps glare at his father, but as soon as he thought nobody was looking, the young master would probably try to smooth the creases and save it.

--

Late in the afternoon the next day, they finally arrived at Dragon Roost Island. "It's oddly quiet," the King of Red Lions noted aloud, and immediately the tension grew. Kid-Link especially looked nervous, his shoulders stiff and his face almost frozen in a mask of apprehension.

It was just an outrageously tall mountain, Link noticed. A tall mountain with a fancy dragon at the top who insisted on roaring every five minutes. Of course, there were plenty of wooden fixtures way up the mountain, indicating inhabitants, and Link could see faint silhouettes against the sun that looked sort of like birds, but not quite the shape for birds. A long stone path blocked by several boulders wound up towards an entrance, and Link assumed that would be the way to wherever these Ritos were. The stone path was disconnected by a broken bridge, it's marred wooden slats dangling from each end, and underneath the space where the bridge should have been was a tunnel. There was a long beach that rimmed the island, but there wasn't much land other than the beach and the nearby lagoon. Most of the island's business was probably in the massive mountain that must have been as been as great as Goron City. Overall, this place looked like a wonderful place for exploration. Link was definitely in.

Link hopped off and waded to the beach, stretching and feeling the sand between his toes. It felt good to get off the boat and away from all that water, not to mention the crowded cockpit. Link got cramps just from trying to prevent his legs from brushing against the other people's legs. Kid-Link began packing away all the sailing equipment, and both Link and Emit-Link watched carefully, trying to learn, but not really succeeding. Navi, however, already had the rigging down pat from just looking at the ropes during the trip, and was quietly narrating everything the kid was doing to Emit-Link from her spot on her shoulder: "Listen, that part's not that hard. It's only a typical knot, nothing special. Even you can do that kind of knot. _That_ rope over there, though, needs a square knot to secure it, so—" and on it went. Leave it to Navi to figure everything out just by looking at it.

"Mister King of Red Lions, we just have to get this Pearl thing, right?" Kid-Link asked, coiling yet _another_ rope and stuffing it down the hatch.

The King of Red Lion's wooden head bobbed up and down. "Yes. The sky spirit Valoo will most likely have it in his possession."

"So all we have to do is ask the giant dragon up there that's roaring in anger or pain for a jewel and hope not to get incinerated!" Kid-Link chirped. "Easy peasy lemon squeezy!"

"Why is it that your tone is so optimistic, but your words are so negative?" Navi complained from Emit-Link's shoulder. "You're contradicting yourself all the time."

"Anyway," the boat interrupted loudly before they could get sidetracked again, "to ask the Rito on how to get to Valoo would be the best course of action. They would know best."

"Yessir." Kid-Link bounded for the tunnel. "Let's check out that tunnel first!"

"No! There's no time for delays!" the King of Red Lions cried. "Really!"

Kid-Link almost seemed to deflate as he stopped cold and nodded obediently. "Yessir…" It seemed that every time the boat reminded them of their need for haste, Kid-Link would automatically remember his sister because of what had gone on at the last island. The King of Red Lions had gotten himself a pretty handy weapon, a weapon that Link would have to counter. Not that it was particularly hard, since the King of Red Lions was restrained to the water.

"Oh, and Link? I almost forgot something," the King of Red Lions admitted. "Open the hatch for me and look for anything that's not related to sailing equipment. There's only one item, so you'll know what it is when you see it."

So the kid waded back into the water, hauled himself into the cockpit, popped the hatch, and stuck his head clear inside. "Uh, Mr. King of Red Lions…"

"Yes?"

"Can I keep a piece of rope?"

"Whatever for?"

"Just because. I'll give it back, I promise."

"As long as it is not a part of the rigging. It would delay us if you lost a valuable part."

"Thanks." Kid-Link pulled out a skinny piece around the length of his arm and took his time looking for whatever the boat wanted him to look for, much to Emit-Link's agitation. Link had no problems with it, though. Let the kid take as long as he wanted, and let no one tell him otherwise, Link thought, and he smiled to himself. Kid-Link hummed again, the song that he'd been singing last night. Link wondered idly if it had any lyrics.

Finally, something white emerged from the hatch, and Link's eyes snapped and locked onto it almost on their own accord. But just as that happened, Kid-Link screeched remarkably like the monkeys in the Forest Temple and jerked backwards, dropping the stick back down the hole, clutching his hand as if he'd been burned. "It does feel a little weird, doesn't it?" the King of Red Lions chortled, apparently having anticipated Kid-Link's reaction.

"A little?" Kid-Link squeaked. "A _little_?!"

"What?" Link demanded, worried. "What is it?"

"That… That…" Kid-Link gesticulated frantically, shaking his finger at the open hatch, before gushing, "That's so _awesome_!"

"Wha…" The kid dove right back into the hatch with enthusiasm and pulled out a thin white stick, his fingers pinching it delicately, and Link's sentence died on his lips. Link just didn't have enough attention left over to pay to what he was saying, since every grain had already gone to the little rod. It _was_ weird, definitely. But not just a little weird. It was like Link couldn't look away from it, and it called all his senses effortlessly.

And suddenly he was waiting for something, something he didn't understand nor know of but it didn't matter because all that mattered was the thing he was waiting for and holding his breath for and that it would come soon, so just wait—

Sharp movement caught Link's attention from the corner of his eye, and Link took advantage. Navi had slammed herself against Emit-Link's head, probably to get him to snap out of it. He jerked, partially from the fairy's pathetic attack and partially from surprise, then quickly covered his eyes, clearly unsettled by it. Pinching his arm to distract himself, he backed away as Navi hovered close around his face, trying to help as a distraction.

"What's going on?" Kid-Link asked, puzzled by their reactions.

"It is harmless. Relax," the King of Red Lions advised upon seeing their reaction. He looked like he was having a hard time concentrating, too, since his words were slow and sometimes hesitated before words. "It is the Wind Waker, the baton that conducts the win—"

"Oh, just put it away," Emit-Link hissed. He was pinching himself so hard it looked like he was going to make himself bleed anytime now. Navi buzzed in agreement.

Kid-Link tried to comply a little too quickly and fumbled with it in his panic, the baton slipping and landing in the water with a splash. "AGH!" he shrieked. "I'm sorry I'm sorry I'msorryI'msorryI'msorry!" Link rolled his eyes. He'd dropped it in shallow water, yet he was panicking. It was easily findable.

"Quick, search for it!" the King of Red Lions commanded. "It is invaluable!" Kid-Link was way ahead of the boat, leaping into the water and snatching it with wild sprays of water, then stuffing it into the bag under his shield. Emit-Link breathed a sigh of relief, releasing his vice-like grip on his own skin. Link just rolled his eyes again at the over-the-top reactions. Sure, the baton called the Wind Waker was freaky, but it wasn't _that_ bad…Link hoped.

"That was scary," Kid-Link whispered, comically frozen in the water. "In more than one way."

"As I was saying," the King of Red Lions continued, "that is the Wind Waker, a baton used to conduct the winds."

A brick dropped into Link's stomach, lurching his gut. _Conduct_? His paranoid imagination whirred into hyperactive mode, utterly spoiling all fascinating aspects that Link might have taken interest in.

The oblivious King of Red Lions continued, "It was used long ago to summon the power of the gods, but I do not know if it still works—"

"Excuse me," Link interrupted slowly, "but did you say it…conducts the winds?"

_Say no. Please._

The King of Red Lions replied patiently, "Yes, that's what I said."

_Damn._

"As in, control?"

Yeah, he'd said it. Somehow he'd made the connection between conduct and control. It was the paranoia that came with the Hero rig.

_Say no, say no, and whatever you do, don't say—_

"Yes."

Link sighed. _Of course._

"So whoever's holding that baton," Link said slowly, "can make the wind do…stuff."

The King of Red Lions raised an eyebrow, bemused by the constant questions about the exact same thing that he'd already confirmed. "I believe so."

A year ago Link would have thought that was fun. Now…

Link nodded stiffly and didn't say anything more, retreating into an isolated space away from the rest of the group. The King of Red Lions proceeded to spew out a load of musical baloney, and while the kid didn't try to use the baton, it was clear he had no idea how to use it. But Link wasn't really listening. He knew he shouldn't have made such an odd connection, but it still irked him, nagged at him in the back of his mind, so much that the Wind Waker was no longer just something interesting and freaky to him. It might as well be an enemy, just as Emit-Link treated it. The Wind Waker controlled the winds, the very incarnate of freedom, yet here was a baton of the dreaded puppeteer who pulled all strings.

If the wind itself is not free, then what is?


	30. Baby Sitters

First) What rhymes with "tiller" and starts with the same letter as "fun"? That's right: _filler_. Bear with me because all the fun things happen next chapter. I _promise_.

Second) Quill's always been a fun character for me. Honestly, the way I saw him had always been as the feathered version of Link. Read his figurine description again and tell me I'm wrong.

Third) Don't ask me why I did what I did in this chapter. It was very spur-of-the-moment, and only when I was writing it did I realize it fixed all the plot holes in the Dragon Roost arc. Not to mention any other reaction would kind of be illogical…

Fourth) Because going by the game script is starting to piss me off, I'm screwing it all. Huzzah huzzah.

Sixth) I made the Rito population bigger—no race is going to survive with only ten or so members—and the entire Rito Hall bigger. Think even bigger than Goron City. With more rooms. And levels. And people. And pretty much everything. Komali's room is still in the general same place, though. And I'll only use canonical characters, such as Koboli, Namali, Pashli, ect.

Seventh) I reread my entire fanfiction, start to finish. Incorrect punctuation marks, bad story flow, typos, and generally _bad things_ were _everywhere_. What the hell was going through my head?! I really want to go back and fix them all, but I promised myself that I'd keep them all in their original state so I can see how I've improved, with the exception of the first chapter, because the first chapter is the most important chapter. And I haven't gotten around to editing that one because I'm too lazy. So I'm sitting here, fuming at my own writing, telling myself to let it go and try to make the future chapters better if I can't make the previous ones correct.

Eight) I ran out of things to talk about. Good, because this A/N is too long and it includes unnecessary stuff.

Nine) Did you notice I skipped five?

--

When he appeared in the doorway, Medli jumped up so fast she cracked her spine, nearly knocking her harp off her bed. It was a stupid thing to do; it would surely tip him off and alert him to her plans! But then again, thinking he could deduct her plans from just her reaction was inane as well. Quill paused, watching her frantically check her harp for damage, flustered at Quill's sudden appearance. Medli didn't know him very well, only that he'd been promoted to postman at a ridiculously young age and others spoke about him in respectful tones. There were people who said something about courage and trustworthiness, but Medli never really listened.

Quill didn't say anything for a while, waiting for Medli to calm down after the initial panic. "Sorry," he apologized eventually, his face unmoving despite his tone. Medli noticed a dark smudge on his cheek, looking suspiciously like ash.

"Ah—it's okay." Medli hopped off her bed and stood out of respect for the senior Rito, even though he was quite young himself. "It wasn't your fault, really. I'm just a bit anxious lately."

Quill's lips twitched upwards slightly as he crossed his arms. "The prince?"

She nodded, trying to hold firm. _That had only been a half-lie,_ she tried to reassure herself, so she went ahead and replied, "Yeah… I've tried talking to him, but nothing gets through to him." Her eyes slid to the left in shame. She was his best friend, and even the chieftain relied on her sometimes to get Komali to listen, but the only thing she'd been able to accomplish so far was getting him to unlock his door. But even though she was inside his room, no matter what she said, he just ignored her and stared into the ball that his grandmother had given him. Ever since he'd come back from seeing Lord Valoo, he'd wrapped his arms around it and hadn't let go since, like he was drowning and that ball was the only thing keeping him afloat. Maybe it was.

But either way, she'd completely let the chieftain down. If only she'd been a better attendant…

"Talking won't do anything to help him," Quill said tersely, breaking her thoughts.

Medli clutched her harp a little tighter. "Yes. I know that now," she whispered. "Komali and…the chieftain…" She didn't finish her sentence, not wanting to let Quill in on such private information on the chieftain and Komali's life.

But what surprised her was that Quill voiced all her thoughts, picking up on her vague half-sentence. "The chieftain thinks his son's pride is non-existent just because the prince is not exactly the royal, charismatic son that he expected…" Quill shook his head. "Keep it a secret, Medli, but honestly, while the chieftain can lead an entire tribe of Ritos and navigate vicious politics, he simply," and Quill paused, "is not a family man."

She fought to keep her lips from twisting into a smile. It was easy enough knowledge to glean. Yes, Komali's mother and grandmother had always been the personable people, Komali himself had been the shy, quiet boy who stood behind them obediently, keeping to himself yet supporting them all from the sidelines, while the chieftain was the politician who stood on the podium and gave grand speeches. The chieftain never suffered from stage fright, yet when he was put in a father-son-bonding moment, the only word suitable for him would be "awkward."

"And because of that and his own lack of spare time to spend with his son, he knows barely anything about who his son really is," Quill continued.

_Now that_, Medli thought, _was not easily-obtained information._ Her grip on her harp tightened.

"He cannot interpret any of the prince's actions, and it frustrates him. He pressures himself to understand the prince despite the fact that he barely has any time to get to know his own son and he's naturally incapable of being personable. Therefore, he has chosen to believe the illusion that mere words would suffice and that Komali is simply afraid of never receiving his wings. He doesn't understand that at this point, the prince's pride is the only thing scarred and in danger of being hurt again. The prince has big expectations to live up to, yet he's never been able to fill those expectations, and now the ultimate failure has shown itself: he has failed to obtain a scale." Quill sighed, shaking his head again.

Medli stared at him. How in the name of the sky did Quill know this? Wasn't this information that only Komali should know? Not even Bisht and Basht knew this kind of stuff. Medli's shoulder's stiffened, her head lifted, and her eyes narrowed, subtle signs that showed her unsettled reaction to Quill's words. "Really?" Medli said quietly, tone harsher than she meant it to be. "Then exactly what do you propose we should to do fix this?"

"Actions speak louder than words," said Quill evenly, seemingly oblivious to the change of tone. "If we could calm Lord Valoo down and pinpoint a reason for his anger, then perhaps that could console Komali with the fact that it wasn't him causing Lord Valoo's wrath. The problem is, we're not exactly doing much. Nobody knows where to begin in order to calm Lord Valoo down. I've tried, too, but I didn't get any farther than anyone else."

Medli remained silent, biting her lip in frustration. He was absolutely right.

"But I'm not here to complain," said Quill. "The chieftain asked me to give this to you." With one hand, he expertly flipped open the messenger bag on the back of his belt and rummaged around without looking. He withdrew a letter and held it out to her. "The chieftain wants you to give this to the prince. After all, you're his friend, no?"

Nodding, Medli took it—she tried to make her movements as non-hostile as possible, but it didn't exactly work out; how much he knew still unnerved her—and tucked it into a pocket on her dress. Such was a typical incident of Medli, being Komali's personal friend, playing the mediator between father and son. "Thank you. I shall give this to him, and try as best as I can to help Komali as well." She smiled a little, remembering the tales of the boy in green. "Perhaps I can talk to Komali about the boy you told everybody about, the one named Link. Link seems like an inspirational and courageous person. Tell Komali to be strong like him."

"Ah…" He paused, then said with a completely straight face, "Courage is twenty percent morals and noble ambitions, forty percent fear, forty percent will to live, and three hundred percent stupidity. You shouldn't be trying anything he does. Really."

Medli snorted a little. "I'm just asking. I'm not going to actually do anything stupid, sir." Her voice cracked at the blatant lie.

"It's Quill," he corrected.

"Um…Quill." Her voice was still hesitant about it. How was she supposed to be so informal with him, he who had just shown he knew more than the average Rito?

"Better." Quill half-smiled for an instant. "Yes, he was a courageous kid. I suppose he might have tried something just as foolhardy as his quest for his sister, but something like that isn't…advised. " Quill's eyes narrowed. "If you ever meet him, don't put too much trust in him. Sometimes yes, those kinds of people, the person who everybody throws their trust onto, are necessary. Sometimes the people need that kind of person." Quill's red eyes gazed right at her, their stare unwavering. "But remember that putting too much trust in a person is…uncomfortable for the person. They're only human, despite what some people may come to believe."

"I…see," Medli replied uncertainly.

"And when it becomes too much…" Quill made a sharp twisting motion with his wrist, "…that person will snap."

Abruptly, he smiled kindly, sharply contrasting his previous words and his usual expression, and gave a slight wave before walking right back out the door.

--

Waiting for the boy in green, Link, was a frightening task. Quill had announced just an hour after he had given Medli the letter that Link had arrived on the island with two unknowns. Medli had overheard Bisht comment to Basht, "Two unknowns? Wearing masks? Funny that they should show just as we were planning on turning _that_ room into storage." But the unknowns weren't what were scary. Link brought with him opportunity. And it was the opportunity, however appealing, that was scary. Alone and waiting just allowed doubts to ferment. What if this, what if that, what if what if what if…

So Medli laughed when she saw Link walk in, she was so relieved. Here was somebody she could, for the lack of a better word, use. But before she could introduce herself, Link frowned and blurted out, "Where are they taking Emit and Reoh?"

"O-Oh…" Those must be the "unknowns" that Quill had mentioned. Medli had a sneaking suspicion what was happening—Basht's words made it easier to deduct—but she asked anyway. "What did they ask you right before they took them away?"

"Um, they told me about the dragon and Ko—"

"Oh, no, not the dragon. I know they told you about Komali and the great Valoo." As an abrupt change of plans, the letter Medli was to give to Komali was to be given to Link instead, who would in turn give it to Komali in lieu of Medli. Therefore, Medli had been briefed on what they would tell Link, which included Lord Valoo and Komali. "What did they ask about Emit and Reoh?"

Wringing his hands, Link replied, "They asked me who they are."

"What did you say?"

"I said they're Emit and Reoh." Link gave her a bug-eyed look like those sarcastic fish-men some of the Rito talked about, silently saying, "Well, _duh_."

Medli giggled, imagining Hoskit's expression before such a response, as she clarified, "Then what did they ask after that?"

"How I met them. Where they came from. How much I know about them." Link shifted uneasily, rubbing the back of his neck.

"And what did you say?"

"I met them on the pirate ship," Link began, ticking off the points on his fingers, " I don't know where they came from—they technically told me, but it was a place I've never heard of and therefore don't know about—and I don't know very much about them." He gave her a big, goofy grin afterwards, as if that was a good thing.

Medli, on the other hand, gasped in fright. "No, Link! That's dangerous! What you're doing already is far too dangerous, journeying around like this at such a young age, but journeying with people you don't know is…" Medli flung her arms around, searching for a word that wasn't the word "dangerous," having used that twice already.

"Hazardous?" Link offered cheerfully. "Perilous? Risky, unsafe, treacherous?"

"Yes!" Medli's voice dropped to a whisper, as if confiding a terrible secret with Link, and Link leaned in to listen with eyes wide, obviously intrigued. "What if they're actually thieves? Or—or serial killers? What if they're going to kidnap you and hold you for ransom? What if they cover their faces because they're wanted criminals?"

Medli had expected Link to panic, but instead, Link just squinted at her. That was all. Medli looked right back at him, waiting for a reaction. The reaction she got was Link bursting out with laughter, holding his sides like they were going to split. "Y-You're _funny_!" he gasped between giggles. "Emit? Reoh? Thieves and killers? That's…" He shook his head so wildly his oddly-shaped hat slipped a little, snickering.

"What?" Medli retorted, a little stung at the instant rejection of her theories. "It's possible! It's entirely possible!"

"No, no, it's not possible," Link insisted, still grinning widely.

"There's really good actors out there, you know!" Medli cried. "Some people who can trick people into believing things! People who can make people believe something so much that they begin to think like you, that such things aren't possible! This is why the chieftain probably had Mister Hoskit investigate them!"

Link shut up at that point, so quickly that Medli was taken aback. "Investigate?" Link echoed, his eyes narrowing down to slits. "What do you mean, _investigate_?"

Medli fidgeted at Link's reaction, unnerved by his sudden change and uncomfortable under these questions she didn't want to answer. "They're probably just going to ask a few questions, just to check if they're good people or not…"

Link absolutely horrified and ready to bolt right back out the door. "Are they going to get thrown in _jail_?!"

"No! No, of course not! There's absolutely no chance that'll happen!" Medli reassured quickly. On second thought, Medli really shouldn't be promising such things, but what Link didn't know wouldn't hurt him. Hopefully.

"…Sure?" Link asked, eyes wide with concern.

"Positive," Medli replied solemnly.

Link studied her anxiously a little longer before smiling. "Okay. I trust you on this one."

Smiling in turn, Medli heaved a silent sigh of relief before clapping her hands over her mouth. "Oh! Where are my manners?" Bowing, she stammered, "I'm Medli, attendant of the great Valoo…"

Medli tried hard not to think of Link as an "unsuspecting victim" as she began talking, beginning with the letter and ending with the plan.

--

Link paused before Komali's door to catch his breath, feeling as if he'd just ran a thousand miles. Just walking up and down the ramp was stinkin' _ridiculous_. All the passing Ritos with their clipboards and even the ones working would look at him and say something that was supposed to be encouraging, only to completely reverse the intention by their stranger status and huge numbers. So many people were looking at him, all those eyes staring at him…

"That was scary," Link muttered. "In more than one way." The sentence didn't make as much sense as it did back when he'd dropped the Wind Waker, but whatever. It was the same fright. Or uncomfortable feeling, because it wasn't really fright. Or was it? Link couldn't tell right now.

Shaking his head, Link held the letter in his hand a little tighter as he twisted the doorknob and pushed. It didn't budge. Has this Komali locked it? Frowning, Link pushed harder. It still didn't move. Link stared. Medli had said that Komali had the door unlocked… Now what?! Was he supposed to slip the letter under the door or something? But wasn't the point supposed to be that Link delivered it in person? He tried pushing again, to no avail.

Suddenly, the door swung towards Link, causing him to yelp and fall on his butt. Goddesses, since when had the ground become so _hard_? He adjusted his cap, blushing from the embarrassment as he looked up.

A young Rito boy his age glowered at him from the doorway, a huge orange ball in his right hand and the door held with his left. "You're supposed to _pull_ it," he remarked, glaring. Then he blinked his red eyes as if fully registering for the first time who Link was. Link blinked too, about to apologize, before wincing as the boy slammed the door shut again.

"H-Hey! Wait!" Link scrambled to his feet, nearly tripping again—Link thanked whoever built this place that Komali's door was down this dark corridor where nobody was, because he'd die of embarrassment if anybody were looking—and wrenched the door open. The Rito boy, obviously Komali himself, sat on his bed and hugged the ball, staring at Link with a distrustful gaze. Regardless, Link walked up to the front of the bed, just standing awkwardly. What was he supposed to do now?

"I don't want to talk," he declared. "I don't know who you are, but I don't want to talk. I know my father sent you." He added, almost accusingly, "He did, didn't he!"

"Yeah, he did," Link admitted nonchalantly. "Or rather, Medli sent me to you. But the chieftain sent me to Medli. Er…" Link tapped his chin, a sly smile twisting his lips. "I guess it went like this: either Quill, Reoh, or I sent myself to a scary fortress where a bird sent me to a boat who sent me here and then Quill sent me to the chieftain who sent me to Medli who sent me to you. Something like that."

"You're funny, you know that?"

"Why, thank you! Aryll says that a lot—"

"That was sarcasm," said Komali, tone scathing. He lowered his eyes to the ball in his arms. "I don't care who sent you, but I'm not going to talk to you."

Link pouted. "Why not? I like talking with you." It _was_ fun. Maybe it was because Link was finally talking to somebody his own age. On Outset, everybody was either a kid younger than Link who expected him to be a role model or an adult who expected him to be a role model for the kids. Now that Link thought of it that way, it didn't seem very fun. Only Aryll was an exception…sort of. He still had to be a role model, but he honestly didn't care when it came to her.

"You're probably going to try to get me to talk about what's bothering me," Komali explained, eyes narrowing. "You're going to try and get me to talk to my father. You're going to try and explain how it's not my fault. You're going to try to understand me." Komali shifted until he was sitting with his back facing Link. "Stop trying already."

"Um…I wasn't supposed to do any of that." Link simply held out the letter he hadn't bothered to put away upon receiving it. "It's from your dad. That's all I'm supposed to do." Link thought back to what Quill had said, which was something like "share courage with Komali," but Link didn't exactly know how to "share" courage. So he just left that part out.

"From my father?" Komali's wary eyes narrowed as he snatched the letter, flipped it open, and read the first few lines. From Komali's face, he didn't look all too happy about what the letter said.

"You look mad. Don't you like getting letters from your dad?" Link asked.

"No," Komali answered. "I don't like talking to him in general. I barely talk to him, but when I do, he goes on about courage and confidence and useless things he doesn't mean. All talk. This is just another one of those lectures." Komali glanced up for a moment as he crumpled the letter, shocking Link. On Outset, nobody ever got angry at their parents—or grandmother, in Link's case. "You're in this, too. You're nosy, aren't you? Poking your nose in other people's business."

Link didn't really know how to react to that one. He was nosy? Link certainly didn't think he was nosy. He was just doing what he could to rescue Aryll and Tetra. Was being nosy even an insult? Didn't being curious count as being nosy?

"Doesn't matter. Just go away." Komali turned his attention back to the ball in his hands, effectively shutting Link off. "I don't want to hear your big, empty talk."

Not knowing how to react to that, Link stood awkwardly for a moment before shrugging. "Well, I know what's not empty talk. Just not talking at all, y'know? Doing it yourself. The best way to make sure something happens is to do it yourself. That's not just empty talk, right?"

"That's just more hollow words. Get. Out." Unmoving, Komali's tone was so final that Link couldn't do anything but leave. With a sigh, Link turned, slouched across room dejectedly, shut the door behind him, and stretched in the solitude of the lonely hall. Link hadn't known what he'd expected of that visit, but Link knew that he hadn't expected it to go _that_ badly.

"Oh, _nobody_ understands, because I'm just so _special_ and _important_ and the _world_ revolves around _me_!" a high voice mocked, causing Link to screech and whirl around, trying to track the voice. "I get the right to whine and angst, angst and whine, whingst and wangst, because I'm _royalty_! For the love of Twilight, that little birdbrain reminds me of that annoying fish-kid… What was his name?"

"…M-Midna?!" Link gasped.

"The fish-kid's name wasn't Midna, it was Ralis. The name Midna is way too good for the fish-kid." Midna popped out of Link's shadow, earning another shriek on Link's part, and performed three backwards somersaults, giggling all the while. Examining imaginary nails, she sighed, "I hate royalty. They're all like this, like the world revolves around them, so selfish and annoying. Ugh."

"Hey!" a second voice shrilled from somewhere above Link. Link's head snapped upwards so his hat fell off, and Navi emerged from his fallen hat, shaking her wings out. When had she gotten there?!Link stared with their mouths hanging open, voice box evidently not functional at the moment, as Navi flitted her wings so fast it turned into a blur. She cried, "Listen, from what I've heard of you, you're being so hypocritical right now—"

"Oh, shut it, Twinkles. It's not my fault I have the personality I do," Midna said matter-of-factly. "The First was the one who passed on her trademark personality and messed everything up!"

"The First?" Navi asked curiously.

"The first Twilight Princess, the First for short. And I wound up with her genes!" snapped Midna. "According to the stories, she was an extreme version of me!"

"Goddesses forbid I ever meet her. She must be a nightmare," Navi muttered.

"W-What are you doing here?!" Link nearly shrieked.

"We're here to baby-sit you. Be grateful."

"Aren't you supposed to be with Emit and Reoh?" Link demanded.

"I know!" Navi cried. "I've left him alone for thirty whole minutes! This is absolutely _horrible_!"

"Oh, big deal," Midna muttered. "This was your idea."

"No, it was L—Emit's! He told me to!"

"And you dragged me into it. It's not like you were totally against the idea."

"Of course! Emit said I should!"

Link didn't know why, but he didn't like this baby-sitting business. At all. So Emit and Reoh wanted to keep an eye on him? Somehow, this didn't sit well with Link. Actually, it made him kind of angry, yet Link couldn't place a reason. All the same, he refrained from wrinkling his nose and tried to relax his hands, keeping them from turning to fists. He suggested with forced calm, "You guys…should really get back to them."

"Well, he said so, so let's go back! I'm sure Emit will take that as a good excuse!" Navi almost, _almost_ got away, but Midna snagged her by some sort of limb obscured by the light.

"No. We have to stick around until he goes beddy-bye-bye, so until he sleeps we have to stalk him, even if that does mean eavesdropping on a meeting with his feathery girlfriend." Ignoring Navi's struggles, Midna eyed Link, a slow smirk growing. "You know, Twinkles, we could just knock him out and say he was tired… In that case you could go back to your precious Emit. How's that?"

Link decided right then and there that he liked Navi better.

--

Link wasn't sure whether or not he wanted Navi to be there or not. On one hand, even if she wouldn't help them get out of this, she would at least be some sort of comfort. Despite the fact that she was annoying and couldn't tell obvious from subtle, even if she couldn't do anything but rattle off enemy weaknesses, probably the true value of her presence was comfort. He'd definitely learned that as he journeyed as the Hero of Time. On the other hand, now as the ex-Hero of Time, something like the "comfort" Navi brought was…how should he put it? Unncessary, perhaps? Or was the correct term, "tainted"? Regardless of that, however, she'd be generally useless right here and would only be a source of worry for Link. If the Rito investigator found her, then the questions would really be flying.

"So what you're saying is," the Rito said dubiously from across the interrogation table, "is that you come from a faraway kingdom that even us Rito don't know about. And you're here to accompany Link and are covering your faces because of some tradition. And you can't tell us anything more for the same reason."

Everything about that sentence reminded Link of the Zoras. Wary of outsiders and proud to a fault, unable to admit they didn't know something that they did.

"Yessir," replied Reoh-Link without falter, face—what was showing—completely straight. Link merely slumped a little more in his chair and stared at the walls, beginning to feel useless. Both he and Reoh-Link couldn't steer this at the same time, so Link just let him do what he wanted—he was a better liar, after all—and hoped Reoh-Link wouldn't do something stupid. That wasn't exactly a comfortable feeling. Link wouldn't put it past him, the infamous idiot, to totally blow this. One could never tell with idiots. So he just stared at the walls some more. It was a small, dingy room with only a plain table and chairs, all dimly lit. It just set an even more menacing feel to the naturally-fierce gaze of the Rito.

Scratching the back of his neck with an almost resigned feel to the motion, the Rito stood, skirted the table, and whispered something to the two guards behind Link. Nodding, they gestured for Link to follow, so together both Reoh-Link and Link hastily stood and trailed behind them as the guards opened the door and one led the way higher up the stone ramp that lined the interior of the hall. The other guard stayed close behind the two Hylians. The bustling postmen wearing brown tunics made way for the guards in white, but it caused them all to watch the two follow the guards. With the dozens of pairs of red eyes tracking Link's progression, all of which weren't exactly warm, Link was beginning to feel rather unwelcome.

One of the guards pointed at a doorway. "This is where you'll stay." Link took a few steps inside, taking in the solitary table with two chairs, bare stone floor and walls, and the door on the far side of the room, probably for a bathroom. There was an open window, but it overlooked the ocean and a few rocky spires, which wasn't very useful. Then there was a lone, raggedy bed the corner—making Link wonder, One bed for the two of them? Not only was that absolutely nasty, but it showed exactly how hospitable these Ritos were acting towards them at the moment. The guard continued, "You are not allowed to leave until the chieftain decides what to do next."

"So you're arresting us?" Reoh-Link demanded as he wheeled around, outraged. Link's eyes narrowed. If something like this happened, then keeping an eye on the kid would be nearly impossible. Good thing they'd had Midna and Navi tag along with him. Navi would be much more useful there.

The interviewer appeared from behind the two guards, sidling in with a slightly embarrassed grin. "We're not exactly _arresting_ you," he said apologetically. "My name's Hoskit, by the way." Neither Link nor Reoh-Link reacted at all to the friendly gesture, so Hoskit continued, "I'll be frank: Ritos are very nervous at the moment, whatwith the great Valoo acting up, the wind shrine outside broken, trouble with the young master Komali, so outsiders like yourselves are not exactly helping. Especially strangers who come from a place we know nothing of. Link, who's also an outsider, is a different story because Quill has told us about his situation. You know, the sister thing and all? Not to mention Quill's been delivering mail to Outset Island since he became a postman, so Quill's practically been watching Link grow up from afar, being Outset's regular postman, since Link was four. Quill trusts Link, we trust Quill, we actually know where Link comes from, so we feel pretty safe with Link. And we're also concerned for Link, travelling with complete and rather suspicious stra—"

One of the guards abruptly jammed the butt of his spear on Hoskit's foot. Talon.

"I mean," Hoskit amended quickly, shifting all his weight to his other, unsquashed talon, "we're just going to be a little cautious so we don't upset any of the Rito people." Hoskit added seriously, "It's just to keep the public calm, seeing as they'll feel safer with these extra measures taken. It's not like we don't trust you or anything. Honest. "

Link was sorely tempted to shoot back, "If you're going to lie, don't get caught." He didn't, though. No sense in making the situation worse. Link quickly shot Reoh-Link a glare, warning him not to open his mouth—which he'd just done, presumably to snap some witty retort. Reoh-Link growled and snapped his jaw shut.

"So Bisht here," Hoskit patted the shoulder of the guard who hadn't put a hole through his foot, "will be stationed outside your door. He'll be here to make sure you two feel right at home," Hoskit finished brightly. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I heard a travelling merchant is coming today. I really do need to get a present for my girlfriend. I'm looking for Golden Feathers, since they're the latest craze with the girls." With a wave, he and the other guard left, leaving Bisht to close the door firmly.

After a moment of silence, during which both Hylians stood in the empty room, frustrated, Reoh-Link stated, "So they're arresting us. Hu-uh."

Link just ran his fingers through his hair and groaned for an answer.


	31. The Wind's Requiem

For anybody who hasn't played _The Wind Waker_ and is still, miraculously, reading this fic, you might want to watch a walkthrough of Dragon Roost Island. So you're not completely lost. I skipped over some important stuff, assuming that people would know how it goes. Not to mention that comparing this fic to what originally happens on Dragon Roost might be fun, hmm?

Kudos to the anonymous reviewer who saw the middle section coming two chapters before it came out—the _only_ reviewer who got it.

Regarding the Wind's Requiem, while the instructions say up left right , Link's motions are, from his perspective, up right left , instead of the up left right we are seeing. Link should have to reverse the left/right instructions in order to get the motions from the game. I wrote this chapter completely forgetting about it, and when I remembered this very annoying and rather nonsensical (from Link's point of view) fact, I said, "Screw it! I'm too lazy to fix it." Fixing it would require him figuring out he has to stand behind the tablet and read it right to left…or something like that…? And besides, this chapter is too long, so I'm not adding anything more. So all songs will be following the instructions from Link's point of view, not ours.

--

In the howling wind, she thanked him, chatted a little about Komali, her forced smile fading as Link continued to explain how he'd been so reclusive it was almost hostile. She talked of Komali's grandmother, and Link felt his sympathy for the Rito prince grow…and heavy guilt rattle in his gut. What was his own grandmother doing now? And from there, he wound up back at the question that bugged him five times a day: what was _Aryll_ doing now? He shook his head and tried to focus on Medli's talk of falling boulders and dried springs, but now that he'd remembered his family, it became near impossible.

Finally, she got around to why they were in this desolate, empty spring in the first place. She wanted him to throw her up to a high ledge, because beyond that ledge was the path to the shrine at the top of the mountain. She went on to nervously explain how she'd be easy to throw; it had something to do with hollow bones and an updraft. Link nodded, but his mind was elsewhere, and it wasn't about Aryll this time. Unexplained sentences coupled with unsaid words were assembling themselves. Why on earth would she ask him and not somebody she knew better? She'd just met him. Link mentally scratched his head and called it "practice." Silent observation was something he'd need to get really good at.

It was after the first throw he realized that Medli was not… How should he put it? Physically enduring? Fit, but not suited for hard work. An idle observation born from the way she trembled after hitting the wall instead of landing safely on the ledge. Or was the trembling from fright? Either way, it wasn't a good sign.

It was after the second throw he figured that not only was Medli not up to the physical strain that climbing a mountain would surely put on her, but Dragon Roost was probably more dangerous than normal. It was only logical that this would be the case if she were asking him and not somebody she actually knew, because any Ritos would know if it were dangerous and try to stop her. Link wouldn't. Assuming, of course, that he didn't figure it out, and as far as Medli knew, he hadn't.

It was after the third throw his eyes narrowed in the face of the fact that no matter how many times he tried to get Medli airborne, the wind direction would not stay in one position long enough for her to reach the other side. A clear draft was almost nonexistent, and if it was actually blowing in a solitary clear direction, it would change before Medli got to the ledge she needed to reach in order to begin her trek up the mountain. It was, in short, quite impossible.

It was after he told her this fact about the wind that Link decided: even if the wind could stay in one direction long enough, Link would not want Medli going up there. Not alone. Not unprepared. Not if it were dangerous, which Link was secretly convinced it was. He didn't say any of that, though. He just said that maybe the winds would be different tomorrow and that they should try again then. Medli sighed at that one, but nodded her head and bowed, half-heartedly thanking him for his efforts.

So now Link was stuck. What was he supposed to do? Was he supposed to help her and put her in harm's way? If he did that, possibly the entire situation could be resolved just like that. If he did that, possibly Medli could die or be seriously injured. Then was he supposed to wait for a miracle to drop out of the sky and serve itself on a plate to him? If he did that, possibly the Ritos would figure something out, like Quill had promised. If he did that, possibly he could wait forever and a day, only to be disappointed. If anything, he wanted them to go to the top together, but that wasn't possible, now was it? Or maybe he could just go alone and keep her out of this altogether. He was probably more up to the task than she. But thinking of any scenario where Link attempted the climb wasn't possible…_supposedly_…

Link squinted in the dry air, rubbing his left eye to keep moisture. The winds would constantly dry out his eyes, not to mention that these weird little colored particles in the air would plant themselves in his eyes along with what must have been an entire beach's worth of dust. His tongue felt nasty, coated with a thin layer of grime, just like every other bit of skin on his body. Medli had gone back in long time ago due to such conditions, but Link had stayed outside, having taken an interest in the shriveled bomb flowers just as he was retreating to the sanction of Rito Hall.

_This_ was how he could turn "impossible" into "possible." According to what Emit had said on the plants, all he needed was water…and a couple hours to kill, of course.

He supposed he could ask the Ritos, but what would they have? Their pots and jars were full of stored food and valuable drinking water already. Perhaps a cup? Cups were valuable. Or rather, glass cups were. Anything glass was. There wasn't a speck of glass on all of Outset, so Link only knew what it was and what it looked like in the first place because merchants came every so often with a few trinkets. Then should he ask for a common wooden cup, or a clay one? Maybe, but first off, he'd have to somehow be able to climb the bridge remains, something acted as a makeshift ladder, with a cup in his hand. Climbing a ladder one-handed was _not_ easy. Possible, but there'd be a lot of spilled water, possibly broken cups, and definitely bruises. Second off, even if climbing a ladder like that was possible, the Ritos would ask why he needed the cups, and then they'd know he was trying to climb Dragon Roost. They most likely wouldn't appreciate his interfering with their business. Komali had called him nosy… Was he right? Link didn't want to be nosy. (On second thought, he kind of laughed at himself—be nosy, just don't get caught.)

He had, really, only one place left to turn to. There were only two people on this island, excluding the King of Red Lions since he wouldn't have what Link wanted, who wouldn't try to stop what he was doing…probably. Link just had to cross his fingers and hope. Hope they wouldn't stop him, hope they had what Link wanted to begin with.

"Miss Fairy—" Link began, then instantly regretted opening his mouth. Dozens of more sand grains had joined the ones already inside his mouth.

"What?" came a sullen voice from the top of his head. The fact that she wasn't around Emit obviously unsettled her, and she let it be known. "I don't really want to go out, thanks. It's too windy.

Link scraped a little sand off his tongue with his teeth and spat it out, only for more to fly in. Link stifled laughter at himself. "I don't need you to come out. Does Emit or Reoh have anything I could carry water in?"

"I would say that wolf-boy has some, but they're all filled with purple Chu goo," Midna's voice said. Link fidgeted; it felt really weird to be talking to a disembodied voice. In fact, one disembodied voice was coming from his head, and the other disembodied voice was coming from his feet. This felt so weird. Midna went on, "I have _no_ clue why he likes the stuff so much. That stuff eats the spoon. He ends up gagging half the time…" The voice sighed. "Well, I guess you can't teach an idiot dog new tricks, eh?"

Navi asked, "I thought it was 'You can't teach an old dog new tricks'?"

"What's a dog?" Link interrupted.

"It's like a wolf, but bigger, faster, and uglier. And it doesn't have an anti-obedience complex. In fact, they're pretty obedient."

"What's a wolf?"

"Give the boy a round of applause!" Midna's voice cried teasingly from his shadow. "Such an amazing display of stupidity deserves recognition."

"I thought we were talking about bottles, not teasing the poor boy!" Navi cut in. "We're getting side-tracked!"

"I'm just having fun with him, Twinkles."

"That's not _fun_! It's mean and rude. We," Navi said pointedly, "were talking about _bottles_!"

"If you're so eager to talk about shiny melted sand," Midna retorted, voice haughty, "how many bottles does fairy-boy have? After all, we can't use any of wolf-boy's, since his are all full of that sorry excuse for a potion."

Navi's voice hesitated. "…I'm sure Reoh can empty them out."

"He doesn't want to. Believe me, I've tried, but the stubborn, pig-headed manservant won't listen. So, how many does fairy-boy have?"

Again, hesitation. She didn't say anything for a long time, bringing the conversation to a near standstill. Just when Link thought she was going to ignore the question, Link heard a little breath being sucked in and Navi say with an almost defeated air, " …Emit has…ten."

"Ten?!" Link cried before gagging in an attempt to clear the flying particle thingy that had lodged itself in the back of his throat. He hacked it out, his attempts accompanied by more wicked giggles on Midna's part. With his hand covering his mouth to prevent anymore flying particle thingies from invading his mouth, he gasped, "He has _ten_?!"

Link could feel her shrugging, seemingly nervously, under his hat. Was she…shaking? "He went to…a, ah, neighboring place and found, uh, a lot. Then, eh, he went back and…re-found all his other bottles. So…er, now he has ten?" It shouldn't have sounded like a question, but Navi's voice had suddenly climbed to such a high pitch it came out uncertain and shrill.

Link nodded. Questions burned like the nasty acidic aftertaste that Link got whenever he threw up, but he just ignored it. _Strictly silent observation_, he reminded himself. And silent observation meant no talking, no surprised expressions, no suspicious questions, no letting anybody else know. After reluctantly filing away the moment in the back of his mind, he dragged his mental self to other issues.

It was rather simple, actually, Link surmised as he tapped his nose in thought. He would just have to find the opportunity to talk to them and get one of these bottles, then possibly following through the second part of the plan afterwards if he really wanted to. But, Link realized, he was getting ahead of himself. Before all that, he'd find Emit and Reoh to begin with. Link still didn't know where they were, and it was nearly nighttime. He would have to either talk to a Rito and find them that way, or wait until dark and see which rooms were still being guarded. Emit and Reoh would be in that room, since Link had already done a bit of schmoozing with the mail-sorter, Koboli, and learned that the only guards at night would be outside. Simple, now that he put it that way.

Finally, his thinking done, he stood and trotted back inside Rito Hall.

--

If Link stared too long at one wall, it was as if the walls were coming closer and closer and he was going to be squashed. Flattened like a bug, so all his guts would ooze out and splatter everywhere. If Link sat too long in one spot, it was as if his legs grew minds of their own and started jiggling themselves. There was an old Hylian superstition that if one did that, one would be chasing away one's own luck. Although Link didn't really believe it—it was a useless tale on par with the belief that one should always keep one's sword in the hand closest to Death Mountain; he's keep his sword in whatever hand he wanted, thank you—he kept pacing around the room to get his legs to do something. He changed direction whenever he could, sometimes he purposely put chairs in his path so he had to go around them, other times he walked backwards for the hell of it. He always tried to avoid a rut or a set path. Step, step, step, swivel, step, step, swivel, swivel, step, step, swivel, step, swivel…

He glanced at the window again. The fact that the Ritos hadn't taken their bags, seeming the bags too small to contain any great threat—_they had another think coming_, thought Link—was ridiculously tantalizing. Technically, he could just use the Zora Armor, hop out the window, land in the water, swim around the island, and be gone before any Rito knew, but where would he go? He was on an _island_, and he certainly didn't know how to use the boat…not that he would use it if he knew how. The kid was still here. And then because he couldn't leave he'd eventually end up in this room again, just with worse relations with the birds. Back to thinking and walking, walking and thinking.

Emit-Link, on the other hand, seemed perfectly content to think. Just thinking and thinking and thinking. Link had no idea how in Hyrule he did that, but it was amazing. Link was almost jealous—not of his ability to sit, oh no, for somebody who knew everything about Emit-Link, he knew that such a forced skill was more of a self-applied curse. Link was jealous of his ability to ignore the stupid silence. Not more than the closed door or the confining walls, but the silence still got under Link's skin. Normally Link actually enjoyed a little quiet now and then, but not when somebody else—other than Midna or any Ordonian—was around. Then it just became awkward.

So what should he do? Pick another fight with him? It would certainly get Link something to do, but then Link actually thought over that impulse, a little something he'd only done…oh, maybe four times before in his life, tops. It was through actually thinking twice did he figure that picking a fight with a roommate he'd be stuck with for Goddesses knew how long was utterly stupid. Should he try to be friendly? Link wrinkled his nose; being friendly with that bastard? Not only was he the Hero of Time, his personality in itself got on Link's nerves. So should he let the silence ferment?

Link chose the third option. _Yes_, he was a wuss running away. _No_, he didn't care at the moment. He wasn't in Hyrule, now was he? He was completely free of all duties, obligations, responsibilities, destinies, ect.

"Psst."

Stopping in his pacing and turning around, Link glared at Emit-Link without making eye contact. "What?"

Emit-Link had been seated by the bed, but now he was lying _under_ the bed with only his head poking out from under the bed frame. "I found something," he said, a tiny smile on his face.

"Super. Get out from under the bed before any Ritos come in and think you're trying to set the bed on fire. With the way relations are going with those birds, it's not too far-fetched." With that, Link turned away and prepared to continue his walk of boredom.

"Well, c'mere and look. Really." Emit-Link crawled back out as Link sighed and decided that, hell, it couldn't be any more boring than this. So Link got on his own hands and knees and peered under the bed, taking care to stay as far away from Emit-Link as he could.

Because the lighting was oh-so terribly _great_ under the damn bed, it was hard to make out what Emit-Link was pointing at. Eventually, though, Link could see a small drawing had been carved into the wall. Link squinted, making out little stick figures. It looked like…the one that was the lowest was a skinny, wiggly thing with a tail on its head—and realization hit Link as he remembered what this was.

But could he really say "remembered"?

_"So I'm not an artist. Okay, I'll explain. That's me down ther—that's mean! I don't have a leech on my head, that's the hat. Up there above my head—in the sky, see?—is Kaepora Gaebora. Remember him? No, it's not a Likelike with tentacles. Likelikes don't have tentacles to begin with. That's his body and the wings. The stick figure there on top of Kaepora Gaebora is Sheik —his head is _not_ malformed! I drew this with the Hookshot, okay? How do you expect me to get a decent picture out with the _Hookshot_? …Anyway, they're both following me, so I figured they must be allies or something in their quest to stalk and creep me out. Don't ask why I drew this. I'm just bored since the Gorons won't let me leave, 'kay? So Volvagia nipped my leg; I'll live, won't I? …Your silence is very comforting. That helps so much—haha, don't apologize; I never said anything about not being supportive. In fact, sometimes you're over-supportive. What? No! Over-supportive is _not_ a code term for annoying! …It's just that, eh, I _can_ see for myself when there's lava pits in front of me… No! I never said annoying! I'm sorry! That's not what I meant! Seriously! And you're very supportive! Supportive and non-annoying! You're a great partner…no, friend—"_

Link squeezed his eyes shut at that part, trying vainly to suppress a smirk. Oh Goddesses, he was going to start laughing anytime now, with Emit-Link right there, too… A snort came out, and Link guessed Emit-Link must be a little puzzled at this point, but Link didn't care. _Friend_… Dear Farore, it was just _too rich_!

"So what you're saying," Link said, voice strained from the effort of keeping down laughter, "is that because this is the drawing you made in Goron City after you defeated Vovagia, this is actually Goron City."

"Yes!" Sitting cross-legged, Emit-Link pointed towards the closed door and therefore towards the rest of the Rito's home. "Rito Hall does look a lot like Goron City anyway, right?"

"Fantastic. So Gorons morphed into _birds_," Link scoffed, standing up again and patting his pants out. "You do realize that that's the _last_ thing they'd turn into? The Gorons are frequently mistaken as _rocks_. These are _birds_. _Birds_. With feathers and beaks and talons and the whole works." As if Link didn't think Emit-Link could properly understand, Link sarcastically flapped his arms in a mocking imitation of birds' wings. Emit-Link simply lifted an eyebrow at Link's antics. Lowering his arms, Link continued, "And besides, the chances of this are so unlikely I'm not even going to start." Rolling his eyes, Link walked away, circling the perimeter of the room once again, then abruptly turned around just to avoid such an infuriating rut. As he walked, he continued, "We don't know where Hyrule went or what happened to it, so it's not safe to say that Death Mountain could have not pulled the same mysterious vanishing act as Hyrule. For all we know, aliens came, carved a huge circle around all of Hyrule, and lifted the entire shebang into the sky."

"I don't know what happened," Emit-Link admitted, "but I'm just saying that this place does look a lot like Goron City. And the drawing… The drawing is undeniable proof! Right?"

He sounded a little desperate at that last word. Link couldn't help it and barked out a quick laugh. This was just comedic gold, the way he kept insisting that some remnant of Hyrule existed… At Emit-Link's bemused expression, Link shook his head, face still twisted with the effort of keeping down the smirk, then ignored him and continued walking. Once again it was a boring game of trying to make his patterns as erratic as possible to avoid repetition. Step, step, step, swivel, step, step, swivel, step, step, step, step, step, step, swivel, step, swivel…

In the corner of Link's gaze, Emit-Link shook his head like a parent disappointed in his child, and Link gritted his teeth, amusement sucked dry and anger flaring at that arrogant motion. Who did that jackass think he was?! "What?" snapped Link.

"You were like this in the pirate ship's cargo hold," said Emit-Link, as if that explained _everything_. He gently sat on the bed, then lay down and stared at the ceiling, his hands folded sagely behind his head.

Link didn't stop walking, but crossed his arms and glared at a wall in place of Emit-Link. Step, step, step, swivel. "Your point?"

"You clearly don't like being confined."

"Your _point_?" Could he just stop this stupid game already?

"My point," Emit-Link began, still calmly staring at the ceiling, "is that despite what you have come to believe, Or—" He stopped mid-word, expression unreadable, then closed his jaw with a hollow clack. A wry, humorless smile turned one half of his lips into a twisted quirk, not quite grimace, not quite grin. "Never mind. I've done you too many favors already." He glanced out the window at the setting sun, then hauled himself off the bed and sat on the floor by the door instead.

Whatever _that_ meant. Step, swivel, step, swivel, swivel, step, step, step…

But Link kept to the other side of the room after that.

--

With a gasp, Link bolted upright in his bed and flailed his arms against the knotted sheets as if he were drowning, trying to get his hands free. Panicked fingers scrabbled against his neck, only finding clammy bare skin. Link whipped his head around, looking for him, but there wasn't anybody else in the darkness. Link's hand brushed the wall next to him, and he suppressed a scream, jerking away and tumbling violently off the bed and onto the cold stone floor, cocooned in his sheets. He winced at the sharp pain of his hip hitting the stone floor through the blanket, but it was enough to get him to pause and blink a few times.

He was in a dark room. A room, Link quickly recalled, that the Ritos had lent him as a bedroom. A generally empty one, with just a bed upon which was Link and Navi, the latter positioned at the foot, but despite the emptiness it was a place to sleep. It was not the place he had just been. It was a place that was safe. It was a place where Link was Link.

_'Course,_ Link thought, _just a dream. Dummy._ He sighed, breath releasing in shaky, shuddering jerks. Then he sighed again, another one cracked with panic rush, exasperated at the sound of his own sigh.

"Nightmare?" a voice whispered, and a chill shot up Link's spine. He clutched the sheets tighter on reflex, eyes wide in the dimly lit room, its sole light source the unmoving Navi. Only a half-giggle, weary and resigned, was his response. "Jittery? Check. Sweating? Check. Panicked expression? Check. Gasping upon waking up? Check. Uneven breathing? Check."

Before Link could guess who it was, Midna or Navi, the glowing sphere shook its wings out and from the changing wing position, Navi's body under the glow seemed to sit upright. "O-Oh… H-Hi, Miss Fairy," Link stammered, looking up at the little light on the bed, slightly embarrassed.

"Stuttering? Check, check, and check," Navi sighed. "You woke me up. Listen, for a minute I thought you were Emit, nearly giving me a heart attack. It was really scary."

"Er…sorry."

"I was going to wake you up," Navi continued, ignoring the apology, "but you woke up on your own. Which means the dream ended. Which means something horrible and terrifying happened."

"No. Don't know what you're talking about," replied Link shiftily, his voice shooting up two octaves. Goddesses, why couldn't he be better at lying?

"Hey, you should get some fresh air," Navi advised kindly. "Talk a walk. Perhaps read those books you blackmailed Emit into buying. You just need to do something outside. It'll help. I promise."

Who did she think she was? Tetra? She had no right to boss him around. Link adamantly crawled back into the bed, his blankets still wrapped around his legs and trailing behind like a mermaid's tail and shrugged the covers on properly, cringing at the slightly damp spots. He shoved his head under the pillow and retorted, his voice muffled by the pillow, "Nah, I'm going back to sleep. 'm tired." That was a lie, too, but he didn't want to listen to Navi's demands. Link probably would have done what Navi suggested if she hadn't, but the sheer fact that Navi was ordering him to do it made it, somehow, an undesirable of a course of action.

"No! Hey, listen! Get up!" Link didn't move, and Navi suddenly was airborne, zipping and slamming into Link's back, which didn't really hurt. "They'll come back!" Link peeked out from under pillow, and he could see Navi flitting wildly up and down, clearly agitated.

"You don't…" Link fake-yawned again in the middle of his sentence, feigning sleep that undoubtedly wouldn't come, "…know that." He wrapped the sheets around him tighter, wrinkling his nose at the damp parts from his own sweat. Ew. Trying to put confidence in his shaking voice, he repeated, "You don't know that."

"I do, Link, more than you could ever know." When Link didn't move, she begged, "Pretty please?"

She really wasn't going to leave him alone, was she? Groaning, Link pushed the sheets to the side and hissed as the cold night air hit his unprotected feet. Nose wrinkled, he complained, "But…but it's cooooold…"

Navi didn't answer, just hovered expectantly by the door.

Link stuffed his feet into his boots quickly, hoping the boots would be warmer, then grabbed the belt and the bag still attached from their spot on the ground. He clipped it back together, nicking his finger in the buckle but not caring. It was a lot less more painful than the dream. Navi told him to put the sheets on the ground and smooth them to let any moisture dry out, something that hadn't even crossed his mind. Leaving his sword and shield behind, he opened the door and trotted down the Rito Hall ramp, grateful that at this time of night, all was seemingly empty. Nobody would work until two in the morning, which is what Link had guessed the time to be. He glanced upwards as he traveled downwards, noticing that at the highest level of the ramp, a lone blackened silhouette stood at attention.

_Aha… So that's where they are._ Link smiled as he finally jammed his hat back on his head to finish his outfit off, giving Navi a place to stay. Tonight, however, was not that night. Tomorrow was.

His feet carried him all the way down to the first floor and out the door he'd come through when he first entered Rito Hall, landing him on a rickety wooden ramp with bitingly cold wind. Link squeaked and tried to turn back as the first needles of chill pierced his skin, but Navi said happily, "This should wake you up. Stay out here for five minutes at the very least, _then_ go back inside. It's good for you." Link rolled his eyes.

Shivering in his boots and arms wrapped tightly around himself to preserve warmth, Link hobbled down the ramp towards where he'd met Quill. He stared up at the moon, then the ocean, and finally blinked as he noticed the shrine they'd passed on their way up. He'd ignored it the first time because Quill had been up there waiting for him, but now, nobody would mind if he went to check it out…

It was a split second decision on Link's part. Without warning, he planted one foot on the railing, hoisted himself up, and leapt for the shrine.

Navi shrieked something about water from under his hat, but the only thing that registered in Link's head was blurring dots of light from the stars, the wind rushing upwards, and the jarring, dull thud that resounded in his ears. Grinning, he stood and stretched. He did something like that often at Outset, except it was with the watchtower. Although he didn't think he was hurt, Link quickly checked himself. He had landed on the shrine, just as he'd planned. He was successfully avoided the water, with only a little bit touching his heels from the edge. There were no bones broken, quite obviously, and the only injury so far was sore feet and a little scratch on his tongue. He'd bit it somewhere on the way down. He stood up from his crouched landing position, grinning from the small victory and the rush.

"That was stupid!" Navi chastised, her wings beating frantically. "You could have gotten hurt!"

"Well, I didn't, so there."

"That's not how you're supposed to think!" Navi lifted the brim just a little so she could squirm out, and Link shuddered at the weird feeling of having a small person crawl on his head. "Hey, you're supposed to think safety! Be safe and don't get hurt! Listen, a lot's riding on you! Stop being selfish!"

Link sighed. The quickest way to get troublesome adults—or fairies, in this case—off your back was to just be quiet and agree with whatever they had to say. "Yes, Miss Fairy. I'll remember that."

She hopped off his head and floated in front of Link. Curiously, her blue shine became colored with a slight purple tinge. "Um…don't call me that. Call me Navi."

"Why?"

"Because I said so." Navi changed the subject and went on, "Listen, Link, apparently you wanted to see something here, so let's just see what you want and go. I don't think that pulling stupid stunts is what I had in mind for 'waking up.'"

Link nodded and followed her, climbing the stairs and approaching the twin blue stones. The one on the right was broken, cracked almost in a C shape with jagged blue edges, anything that might have been written on it clearly lost. The one of the left, however, was smooth, polished, and untouched. Three diamonds in a row were inscribed into the blue surface, and each diamond had something like an arrow in a corner, yet each diamond's arrow pointed a different direction. From left to right, the directions read up, left, right.

"Do you think it's telling me to go someplace?" Link asked Navi. "Like I should walk north, then west, then east, and I'll get to buried treasure or something like that?"

"I don't know," she replied worriedly. "It can't be, can it? It doesn't tell you how far to walk." After a moment, she added, "Not to mention there's only water around here…"

"There's plenty of treasure under the sea, Uncle Orca says."

But Navi wasn't listening. Instead, she circled the tablet it twice, before exclaiming, "Oh! Hey, listen! There's this inscription right above the directions that I didn't see before. Maybe that will help?" Link leaned over and squinted in the dim moonlight, then chuckled. Figures. The characters were unlike anything he'd ever seen.

But to his surprise, Navi said, "It says, _The Wind's Requiem_.' What do you think that means, Link?"

Link stared at her, mystified. How had she been able to read that? After a moment of puzzlement, Link shook it off and tucked it away in the corner of his mind. Maybe it was a fairy thing. "Wind's Requiem? Maybe, oh, I dunno…maybe it's referring to the Wind Waker?" Link laughed. Link couldn't see any sign of reaction from Navi, the blue light just continuing to hover. It was easier to pick up reactions from Emit and Reoh, because while they had half of their faces covered, there was still body language and the eyes. With Navi, Link couldn't see anything but light, colors, and wings.

"Okay, since the Wind Waker is our best bet," Link said slowly, hesitant about anything to do with the Wind Waker, "I'm going to use the Wind Waker and see what I can do with this thingamajigger. Please go over there, Miss Fa—Navi."He pointed to the tunnel that led to the other side of the island.

"Wha—" Navi zipped in a tight circle, signaling perplexion. "Why?"

"Because. Please?" Glancing down at his shadow, he guessed that Midna must be asleep, so Midna wouldn't be a problem. All he needed was for Navi to go away."Um…pretty please?"

Sighing, Navi floated to that side, illuminating the water as she went. Link watched her go, and only when her blue glow was obscured by the tunnel she had gone through did he sigh too. He really didn't want to use it, and the fact that there wasn't anybody _real_ to watch only made it a little better. It must have come from growing up on Outset, since he knew everybody there and there weren't a lot of people to begin with. Naturally, being in a position like the one the Wind Waker stuck him in would be terrifying. And it was.

As he withdrew the baton, he thought he sensed thousands of pairs of unseen eyes turned in unison towards him. Thousands of pairs of eyes and ears waited for what he'd do. A spotlight that wasn't really there flickered on, trained on Link's frozen form. Expectancy was the only word for the way they watched him, waiting for the baton to drop and begin—but begin what, Link didn't know. He really wanted to tell them he didn't know what he was doing, holding this little white stick on this invisible stage in front of this massive audience. His mind shorted out, unable to think, compute, register what was happening; his limbs froze, receiving no messages from his brain, completely overrun with panic—what was he doing what should he do what was he supposed to do—and he felt like he was going to fall, teetering on the edge

_flail run clutch fall blame hate DROWNING INSTINCTS!_

Link snapped his eyes closed, the Wind Waker slipped into the sand, and the audience vanished.

A gust of wind, as if to protest his mistreatment of the Wind Waker, blew past him and chilled him even more. Link squeezed his eyes tighter and mentally sighed at himself: shouldn't he have expected that from the last experience, however brief it may have been? This was why he didn't like the Wind Waker. It shoved him in the center of attention, none too gently, putting him off-balance. He didn't know what to do, and with so many people watching—regardless of whether they were real or illusion, they still gave the same effect—it was even harder to calm down and think things through. He bounced on the balls of his toes like he was jumping to a beat, biting his lip worriedly, arms wrapped tightly around his middle. He had to think this over. After being reacquainted with the terrifying Wind Waker, he wanted to think over whether or not this was really worth it. He had the Wind Waker, didn't he? Didn't that mean it was his duty to—

He derailed his own train of thought as new questions arose. Was it? The King of Red Lions just gave it to him because the boat had thought it'd be useful. Did that automatically make him the user of the Wind Waker, and thus in a tacit agreement? And if he were, what would be the consequence if he didn't do as he was supposed to? Would he be punished? Would others be punished? By who or what, then? Was he truly obliged to do this…whatever it was…just because he had the Wind Waker?

_Well, kind of,_ he thought dryly, grinning. Despite the eyes and the ears and the judging presences—because that was truly what was scary about it; the fact that the people there were judging him, evaluating him, ready to voice their disapproval, ready to say, "_You have failed_"—even with all of that, he wanted to know what this "Wind's Requiem" was. Whether or not a consequence would occur of doing and not doing didn't matter. So he scratched his head, adjusted his hat, shook out the shivers again, bent down, and picked it up.

Eyes opened, ears listened, and the vibe of expectancy hit Link again, making his breathing shallow and pressured, but Link held the Wind Waker all the tighter. So tight his hand trembled and he thought the Wind Waker would break. He had to _hold_ it to begin with, quite obviously, instead of letting go of it again just to procrastinate a bit more. Resolve hardened, he lifted the Wind Waker into a position that Link assumed was like a conductor's stance, reviewing exactly what he would do for comfort.

Was the audience already a bit less judging?

He faced the tablet and did the only logical thing: he pulled the Wind Waker up, beginning the instructions. He paused, listening to a faint, high note that seemed to come from the wind itself. It was unlike anything he'd ever heard, not even like the instruments he'd seen at Windfall. It wasn't quite a voice, not quite instrument… Link shrugged. It was the wind, then. The wind must be unique in the sounds it made. He swung it down and to the left, listening briefly to a low note, then to the right, finishing it off with a note that was in between.

As the last note died, Link waited for something to happen, feeling tense, aware of the silent people who watched. Was it just his imagination, or did the breeze that had been blowing just now stop? He held his breath. Clenching the Wind Waker a little tighter in apprehension, he continued to wait for whatever would happen. He released his first breath and took another, eyes darting from the tablet to the sky to the Wind Waker and repeat. Tense seconds dragged by…

…and still nothing happened. The audience didn't react, nothing fancy with the wind occurred, no coolio magic had done what coolio magic did. The anti-climatic air—no pun intended—left Link feeling a little disappointed. He let his arm drop and hung his head, feeling slightly defeated, ignoring the fact that all winds had just stilled. Maybe he was a sucky conductor. Maybe it was broken, like the King of Red Lions guessed. Maybe the wind didn't like him. Maybe the Wind Waker didn't like him. Maybe the Wind Waker required fancy magic that he didn't have. Maybe—

Something invisible, fast, and _hard_ shoved itself into Link's gut, causing him to gasp, drop the Wind Waker, and double over as all the air rushed out of his lungs. He felt like he was going to deflate from lack of air, and without even enough breath left to yell, he settled for strained groaning. A gust of wind hit the back of Link's right leg, causing his foot to slip out from under him, letting his left fold in a painful angle and consequently dumping Link unceremoniously on his back. His spine popped loudly in his ears as Link registered why he was suddenly staring at the sky and not at the ground. Then what seemed like a bag of bricks crashed into his left ribs, so Link screeched and rolled over twice until he was curled on the ground, covering his head with his hands and eyes shut as tight as they would go.

And that was when Link felt his body lose contact with the ground, rendering him weightless, frightened, and unstable, then literally _flew_ off the shrine and into the water with a sharp splash that knocked the wind out of him _again_. Link shouted in the dark water, scrabbling against the sandy bottom, but the water muted his yell and he only lost any remaining air. He floundered in panic until he burst back up, gasping from the cold water and the shock. He continued to flail for a moment, sending sprays of water in the air, before doggy-paddling to land. He dragged himself to the shore of the shrine once again, where he flopped on his back by the shrine stairs, a frigid puddle already forming around him from his soaked clothes.

There was a silence, then, as if as a parting jab, the wind began blowing once again, almost merrily. Link would have stuck his tongue out under any other circumstances, but instead he just heaved up a cough and grimaced at the night sky.

"Good! Wonderful! Fantastic! Spectacular! Beautiful! Superb! For a beginner, you've got a good wind-sense about you. I like you, kid!"

Link half-heartedly rolled his head to the side—what _now_?!—only for his eyes to widen as he saw the huge green frog peering over him, the amphibian's lipless and toothless mouth stretched wide. He scrambled to his feet, wincing at the aches and dull throbbing pain in his stomach. The frog chortled a little, causing the green cloud he rested on to tremble. Link's eyes widened further; the frog was almost bigger than he was!

The frog opened his mouth and spoke, which scared Link even further. "The name's Zephos. I'm the God of Winds. Don't you dare call me anything else or get polite with me, kid. I saw how you tried to treat that poor fairy. Don't do it; it makes me feel old. I'm only a couple thousand years old, you know." Zephos smiled cheekily at Link's jaw, which was probably hanging open in a most satisfying way. "So, you're the new Wind Waker, are you?"

Quickly, Link snapped his jaw shut and tried not to look too stupid. Arms wrapped around his middle from both the cold and the attack and bent at a weird angle from the growing bruise, Link mumbled, "Er…not really… The wind hates me…"

"No no, that was a love tap."

Link's eyes bugged out and his mouth fell open. "_Love tap_?"

"Sure." Pausing, Zephos added, "Er, that may not be the exact translation, but it's something along those lines." He shrugged, which was a very odd sight, because Link had never seen a frog shrug before. "Seriously, there weren't a lot of great Wind Wakers, maybe two or three tops, since all the olden-day Wind Wakers got chosen by tradition, but the good ones have all have started out like that."

"On the floor, feeling like they're going to pee their pants?"

"Quite," said the frog, laughing at Link, who moaned again at the frog's response. "But I'm not going to explain how the wind works, m'boy. That's for you to figure out! You'll be able to do it." Zephos patted Link's shoulder with a clammy webbed flipper, making several bruises throb again.

"But it _attacked_ me," complained Link, easing his shoulder out from under the frog's grip. "It obviously doesn't like me!"

"Yaddah yaddah. You might not believe me now, but you'll figure it out. I know you will. Moving on to other business," Zephos interrupted blithely, completely ignoring Link's plea. Link gave him his best insulted face, earning nothing but another laugh and a continuation: "That song you just learned to conduct is called the Wind's Requiem."

"What's a requiem?"

"A song for dead people," replied Zephos cheerfully.

Link's jaw dropped open. It certainly hadn't _sounded_ like a song for dead people!

"Well," Zephos chortled, "I suppose it's more of a mourning song. I'm not quite sure about the exact definition. Thought it sounded catchy, though. Gotta admit, the title 'Wind's Requiem' has a certain...rhythm to it, eh? Eh?" Zephos nudged Link with his elbow, grinning even wider, laughing all the while.

"Is the wind mourning?"

After a brief silence, Zephos laughed the hardest so far, and this time, Link giggled with him.

"Going back to my original topic," said Zephos quickly, smiling a little sheepishly at the obvious evasion, "that song is called the Wind's Requiem. It allows you to change the direction of the wind."

Link's eyebrow shot up. That was it? Wasn't the Wind Waker supposed to be magical? Shouldn't magical, coolio things happen? All he could do was change the wind. No insane cyclones, no changing day into night, no songs that could allow Link to blow up rocks or something? Totally unfair. Link had thought that magic would be cooler than that. Feeling a little cheated and skeptical, Link asked, "And…what good does that do?"

"A lot of things, actually," Zephos retorted. He, too, looked a little cheated, as if he could read Link's thoughts and was miffed at Link's assumption that his song was lame. "Changing the direction of the wind is very useful! It's the trademark of the Waker of the Winds!"

"Uh-_huh_..."

"My brother, Cyclos, has a song that's more _appealing_ to the younger generation," Zephos said, now clearly mock-insulted, "but I think changing the wind is just fine. Back in the day, people were amazed just by looking at the Wind Waker. But no, you young'uns need _big_ and _exciting_ things to interest them!" Zephos rolled his bugged eyes, but the smile that never seemed to disappear from his face twisted the corner of his mouth, apparently unable to leave.

Link didn't recognize the name until three whole seconds after Zephos finished talking, but when he did, Link gasped loudly, making one of Zephos' eyebrow shoot up. "Ah! Hold up! You mean _the_ Cyclos?" The name brought back memories of a ranting Tetra, shrieking about how Emit was going to get himself killed. "You mean the guy…er, frog…god who nearly destroyed Tetra's ship?"

"Did he?" Zephos didn't seem very concerned, but more resigned—and at the same time, the corners of his lips didn't rest from their continuous smile. "Typical." He floated backwards a bit, waving a flipper at the second broken tablet. "As an explanation for this 'Tetra's' ship, this here monument was dedicated to my brother, Cyclos. He wasn't happy, in short, that it was vandalized. Some punk came and thought it was funny to mess with the shrine, and now every person who wants to sail a sector or two has to worry about getting shipwrecked. Cyclos spends his time creating cyclones to torture sailors. Mostly merchants; there's no end to those. But sometimes when he's really feisty he'll go for islands. He's messed with Greatfish Isle once—they've got a nice little village over there, for your information—and Windfall a couple times."

"What song was on there?" Link peered at it carefully, trying to see any remnant of the directions, but there was nothing. "And what does it do?"

"That's for you to find out. If you want to know, you'd best see Cyclos himself. And, hey, while you're at it," Zephos mock-punched Link's shoulder with a smirk, "give him a word or two from me, willya?" Link snorted. Maybe Emit should do that one, since Emit had been the one who'd done the secretive doohickey and averted what Tetra had assumed to be inevitable ruin.

"And speaking of Cyclos…" Zephos paused, smile fading at last. "I, myself," and Zephos motioned towards himself and the cloud he sat on, "use the wind only for what humans call 'good'. Cyclos, on the other hand, clearly uses it for what humans have dubbed, 'evil.'" Link cocked his head. Zephos kept using air-quotations around the words "good" and "evil," and Link supposed he had a good reason for that, but Link couldn't see what reason Zephos could possibly have. But Zephos wasn't done with his talk yet, and continued despite Link's wandering train of thought. Gesticulating with his flippers, Zephos said, "Depending on how it's used, the wind can be a good thing…or a very bad thing. Cyclos is a perfect example."

"But how are you both able to use the wind like…that?" When Zephos' eyebrow shot up comically at Link's foggy term, he clarified, "Why can the wind be a good thing or a bad thing?" Link looked expectantly at the frog, who seemed deep in thought. It slightly unnerved him to see Zephos so serious after the God of Wind had proven himself from the moment he'd met Link to be a light-hearted joker, and the deep shadows cast over Zephos' lined face from the moon made it just that much more solemn.

After a moment too long, Link began to wonder whether Zephos was really trying to come up with an answer. It looked more like he was debating with himself on whether or not he should honestly tell Link. This, of course, only served to pique Link's interest. What was so important that Zephos was reluctant to tell? Godly things, maybe? Stuff little humans like Link shouldn't be interfering with? Link knew that he was just a mortal, and really shouldn't have been talking to the God of Winds so casually all this time anyway. So Link just kept waiting, holding his breathe and hoping that Zephos would part with this juicy tidbit.

Finally, Zephos shook his head a little. Link's face fell. So Zephos wouldn't tell? But just as Link thought Zephos was going to keep his mouth shut and Link would never know, Zephos sucked in a breath, placed his hands together in his lap like he was praying, and said softly:

"Because the wind is, always will be and always has been, a neutral, selfish third party. Good and evil mean nothing to the wind."

The wind tugged sharply at Link's hat, but whether it was disagreement or approval, Link couldn't tell. Slightly confused at first, Link opened his mouth for another question, paused, and shut it again. He opted for the simple nod. It seemed terribly important, even though Link couldn't really fathom why, something that added a tinge of anti-climax, but all the same such a statement was better left solitary.

"That's the most important thing I can tell you, little Waker of the Winds." Zephos sighed before grinning broadly, his usual bounce back in his attitude, the change so swift it was as if Zephos' up-beat stride had never faltered. "Therefore, it's up to the Waker of the Winds to determine how the winds are used! That's _your_ job!" Zephos poked Link's chest with another laugh, making him stumble backwards. The frog hadn't exactly poked lightly. "So, kid, rhetorical question: where do you stand?" Zephos abruptly moved behind Link, waving merrily. "Good luck, kid!" And with that, he zoomed backwards with a gust of wind, laughing nearly maniacally as he did. Within seconds, Link lost the little green dot in the darkness.

Link didn't move for a while. He just stared at the sand. It sounded important, what Zephos had told him, but why was a neutral third party such a valuable piece of information? He watched his hat dance in the wind out of the corner of his eye, the fallen Wind Waker in the corner of his other eye. Why was it so important?

Why?

"Hey, is the frog gone?" a voice called. Link turned around towards the tunnel, shivering from the cold breeze that had followed the god's departure, and saw Navi hovering near the tunnel entrance. "Good. Listen, I don't want to talk to any more talking frogs."

"…Navi…"

"Yes?"

"Either you might want to go back to Emit or find yourself a seat. I'm gonna be here a long time. I've got a game to win, and I don't like losing." Link bent down and picked up the Wind Waker—people watching, listening, waiting for his cue—and smiled at her, doing his best to force a genuine feel to his smile by ignoring the audience. He eyed the tablet, something of a smile forming on his face at the prospect of such an interesting challenge…not to mention the question…

Somehow, the audience wasn't quite as scary, Link reflected. Perhaps it was because they had already rejected him? All he could do now was prove his worth.

Defeat hurt.

Link would not taste it again.

The sun would find him four hours later on his two hundredth ninety-second repeat of the Wind's Requiem.


	32. Blockade

I'm bored. I edited this and edited it and edited some more and then got really bored, so the last part of my "editing" is really half-assed. I dunno. Maybe there's spelling mistakes. Maybe there isn't. Whatever. Like I said, I'm bored. And I haven't been reading that one fic that really pisses me off lately (although I should, it would get me to care more—and hey, I think another chapter came out! Although I'm too lazy to read it) and so now I'm kind of just…floating. And bored. Extremely bored. So…_booooorrrreeeeddd…_at eleven at night. Hmm…maybe that's why I feel slightly high?

Anyway, I went _way_ overkill on the narration. As a forewarning. I really should have stuck it somewhere else, actually in the last chapter, but I can't exactly change that now, can I?

The very first reviewer of this fic _ever_ was named Blockade. Dunno what happened to him/her, though. Funny, ain't it?

I shall give a virtual cookie to the person who can spot the Pandora Hearts reference. Because _everybody _loves virtual cookies.

Now go! Read that chapter! Ride like the wind, Bullseye! And may you be blessed with randominity!

Most complications did not, in fact, concern Link himself anymore, nor did they concern Emit-Link. Most of life's complications concerned the kid. The problems surrounding the kid kind of boiled down to three questions—but while they were only three, they were the most annoying, frustrating questions Link had ever encountered. Back in Ordon, most questions were simple and straightforward, he reflected as he stared at the dark ceiling, feeling the floor's coldness seep into his back through his shirt. Gonna round up them goats now or later, Link? Prolly do it now, Fado, it's getting kind of late. You gonna eat the pie old Aunt Sera gave you after dinner, or can I eat it for you? You can have it, Talo.

Everything was _simple_. The closest thing that came to a question of morals was whether or not you were gonna kill the crippled newborn goat, and Link had been helping Rusl get rid of the defects since he was eleven. Not exactly a question of morals—the only people who questioned that kind of stuff were those soft Castle Town folk 'cause they didn't know any better.

Stupid questions. Not even hours and hours of walking and thinking—step, swivel, step, step, step, swivel—would get rid of those questions. In fact, thinking about them only served to make them even _more_ complicated.

Question one: How to tell the kid that he would be the Hero?

It was, really, perhaps not a question that was obviously important, but it was. It was hugely important. And it was important because, hell, it was downright _dangerous_ when it went wrong—and it'd gone wrong twice already, Link thought with a silent chuckle.

The first option would be to just tell him straight out. Would Kid-Link even understand the full weight of that? The kid wasn't stupid, though. The kid would understand what incredible responsibility it was to be the Hero. Right? Considering that…should Link tell him, short and blunt, just like Faron had to him?

_"Your name is Link. You are the hero chosen by the gods."_

And Link knew how _that_ one had turned out.

But did Link want to risk doing what had happened to—no, recreating _that_ disaster wasn't possible in this situation. There was no forest. There was no fairy. There was no best friend, no princess, no identity crisis here. Nobody had gotten chucked off the boat and was drowning. Here was completely different, even if the principle was the same: ease the to-be Hero into his role _slowly_, so he can keep his balance. Here there was a sister, a home to return to, and two people to keep him afloat, one of which was determined to make sure history didn't repeat itself.

And that was where his thinking had hit a wall. Without comparison to either one of the previous Heroes Link knew of, himself and the Hero of Time, Link could no longer find any base to predict what would happen to the kid. The conditions here were actually quite different, despite what Link had initially thought. His best bet went with easing him into the role slowly, since saying it straight out had _obviously_ not worked and the other option, which was the "easing Hero into role" plan, had been tried and had been…botched.

Badly.

Therefore, the result of that plan of action was not a definite crash. It was his best bet—and as much as Link hated to gamble with the kid, he kind of had to at this point. It was either that, or let Emit-Link take the reins and drive that kid off the deep end. But still, Link was loath to do something like this—

Link twitched, then shifted on the ground. He was getting ahead of himself. Going back to the fact that the situations were different, that meant that all results from before were null and couldn't be compared…

Not surprisingly, there was no clear answer to this question.

Question two: What if the kid didn't want to be the Hero?

That one Link had thought out quite thoroughly to understand all the complications that came along with it. Link didn't want the kid to be forced into the Hero role if he didn't want to be. But if he didn't want to, Link would be morally obligated to do everything he could to get him out of it. However, the world wasn't getting out of the fix that Ganondorf presented. So if the kid did decide to leave, Link would be stuck with no Hero. The _world_ would be stuck with no Hero. And Link couldn't just leave the world out on the line, could he? While Link was morally obligated to save the kid, he was, at the same time, morally obligated to save the world. And of course, Link would normally just do the world-saving himself, but according to this disappearing act he'd mysteriously pulled on Ganondorf and all the monsters that couldn't see him, that wasn't an option. So the kid _had_ to do it. But if he didn't want to, Link didn't want to force somebody else to fit the boots Emit-Link had molded. And if the kid didn't want to do it…Link didn't know what he'd do after Link got Emit-Link's grip off him—

In question one, there were courses of action he could choose, he just didn't know what would happen if he did that, and he was hesitant to choose rashly since there was no going back—things broken would never be repaired. In question two, he knew where he'd end up with his possible choices. He could either go along with Emit-Link and force him, which Link didn't want to do, so that was clearly undesirable. He could fight against Emit-Link and let the kid quit, but then what? Link knew where that went, too—to a world devastated by Ganondorf. His thoughts just milled around in a circle, simply deepening the rut it was running in.

Link rolled over. The ground was getting uncomfortable. In Hyrule Field, where he'd been spending most of his nights, there was at least grass and comforting stars. There, there was no confining walls to threaten him, only stars and seemingly endless fields. And there, it was relatively simple—only his own problems would circle his head, and Link would do whatever hasty decisions he wanted with _those_ problems because they were his and all consequences were his. Somebody else wouldn't suffer for it.

Question three: If the kid didn't say straight off the bat he didn't want anything to do with the Hero rig, was Link…really going to wait until it was too late…?

Simple. Straight-forward. Or rather, as simple as anything concerning Kid-Link would get anymore. But it was the most frustrating question. If the kid agreed to the duty, that wouldn't mean that he couldn't change his mind halfway through. Considering how unwilling he seemed when it came to killing monsters, the deaths would pile up in his mind and eventually a fork would be reached—the famous "Watch for monsters that hang from the ceiling!" scene, or a point where the kid would be haunted by what he'd done and become unwilling. And if the death statistics didn't get to him, there were millions of other ways for the kid to snap. Would Link really have to push the kid until he broke, and then conclude that it was time to step in? But it would be too late!

Link's hand squeezed shut and he stared out towards nowhere, eyes unseeing in the total darkness. The worst part of this was that he needed answers to these questions _now_, not later. _Now._ And yet, even after hours of thinking, _there was no answer_!

He just didn't want the kid to be hurt. He just wanted to save him.

Now more than ever he wished he was back at Ordon…

"Are you…sleeping on the floor?" Navi asked incredulously. "But…isn't there a bed…right there?" Midna groaned and stretched lazily. Now she was going to make a big stink about _this_, and then the Rito outside would hear, and then the two of them would be caught. Midna would just hide in somebody's shadow, perhaps the Rito's own shadow for some amusing irony, but Navi, on the other hand, would probably either get killed by a fly swatter or dissected. Rather, that's what Midna hoped would happen.

"There's nothing wrong with sleeping on the floor," Emit-Link said. "I do it all the time." Link nodded from his seat on the opposite side of the room from Emit-Link, rubbing sleep out of his own eyes. He looked tired, almost weary.

"I understand that you can't both use it," sighed Navi, "but at least one of you should use it. You need your sleep!"

"You know, Twinkles, you sound like a mother right now," Midna laughed under her breath, masking fatigue and annoyance from having to get up at such a ridiculous hour to play alarm clock.

Without warning, Navi turned an angry purple, surprising Midna slightly. She hadn't known that fairies could change their color. Navi hissed, "If I sound like a mother, that's none of your business!" Midna glared at her with naked annoyance. All Midna had done was comment, and honestly, that hadn't really been an insult. But Navi seemed to regard everything from Midna as such for no apparent reason…other than Midna's repeated attempt to turn Navi into a wingless fairy. Navi shook herself out, changed her color back to blue, and said in a much calmer voice, "Now what were you doing, thinking you should sleep on the floor and turn down this advantage of a good night's sleep?"

"All it is," Emit-Link explained, "is that I offered the bed to Reoh, since he was recently sick, but he refused to take it. So we both ended up sleeping on the floor."

Midna eyed Link, who grinned wolfishly at her. She blinked, realization dawning on her, before giggling wickedly. So _that_ was it. It was a _manly ego thing._ Of _course_. Midna shook her head as Navi continued to patiently list all the reasons why Emit-Link should have slept on the bed instead of on the floor, inwardly laughing at men and their stupid manly egos. What probably happened was that Emit-Link offered Link the bed, as he said, but Link couldn't bear to take sympathy from the long-hated Hero of Time. From there, either Emit-Link stayed oblivious to Link's train of thought and slept on the floor to leave the offer standing, or Emit-Link picked up on what Link was thinking and it became a stupid manly ego war. Considering the rather amusing tension between those two, the latter seemed logical…or, as logical as such a stupid manly ego war could be.

"The bed thing is done. Just leave it." Before Navi could continue regardless, Link added, "On the other hand, I'd like to know what you're doing in here. Especially," he glanced out the window, "three in the morning."

Emit-Link glanced at Navi, but Navi didn't say anything. Was it just Midna, or was the gaze more understanding than questioning? Midna just shrugged it off. "The kid wants to do something with one of your bottles," Midna replied, already losing interest in the situation and letting everybody know with a loud, over-dramatic yawn. "We should probably use one of fairy-boy's, since you've got potions in three of yours and some useless Chu goo in the last. And fairy-boy has plenty of bottles anyway, right? Ten?"

Emit-Link, who'd been casually propped up against the wall, twitched and stiffened. Navi, floating on Midna's right, turned from sky blue to such a pale, sickly shade of the same color that Midna almost thought she'd turned white. Link stared blankly at Emit-Link, then realization seemed to dawn on him too, confusing Midna even more. Link asked, eyes narrowing, "…And…_how_…do you know that?" Emit-Link turned expectantly to Midna, wordlessly asking the same question.

This was just too weird. Midna opened her mouth to say, "Twinkles told me," but the words never made it past the voicebox. Navi cut in with, "She said she looked through your stuff, right? She must have seen then."

"Oh…" Suddenly, Emit-Link's tension dissipated, leaving Midna slightly bewildered. He murmured something about jumping to conclusions and shook his head. On the other hand, Link continued to watch Navi—who didn't show any signs of reaction at all—out of the corner of his eye, clearly suspicious. Emit-Link shrugged. "Yeah. Well…I guess I could lend one to…um, little Link. The kid." He rubbed his eye, muttering, "Did he really have to be named Link too? All the Heroes getting my name is confusing…"

Momentarily distracted from watching Navi, Link executed a perfect eye twitch, probably irked as always at the mention of the word 'Hero'…or was he was irritated that Emit-Link had referred to the name as his? It still earned stifled laughter from Midna.

"And where is he, anyway?" Emit-Link asked. "Is he sleeping?"

"Nope," Navi sighed. "He got up at around two and he's been by this little shrine behind the mountain this entire time."

"What on earth is he doing there at three in the morning?"

"Playing with the Wind Waker," said Navi, voice clearly resigned. "I don't really know what he's doing."

"Is it dangerous?"

Navi's voice sounded uncomfortable, much to Midna's amusement. "I don't…ah, _think_ so… He says it's not dangerous, at least."

_Yeah,_ thought Midna, _totally safe. _The kid had a freaking black eye, Midna remembered. The very first thing she'd seen when she woke up in the kid's shadow is the kid growling, "I _will_ do this!" and his face: bedraggled, determined, ecstatic, and sporting a beautiful bruise around his left eye. It was almost as lovely as the one her own Link had a couple weeks back, Midna reminisced with a smirk. It had been a generous gift from that ugly spider in the Temple of Time.

"Anyway," Navi continued, "we'll be back. Look, the kid has some sort of scheme designed here." Before either Hylian could ask, she said, "I don't really know what this plan is, but I know he needs a bottle."

"Alright," replied Emit-Link, "I guess it can't hurt."

Midna fingered the bottle, noting the plain design compared to her own Link's bottles and idly popping the cork on and off. For a few moments, she kept popping the cork over and over, delighted at the awkward silence that had just occurred as everybody watched her waste time. But finally: "Let's go! We're wasting time!" Navi nagged. Midna stopped, irritated that the awkward silence was broken. "Listen, you're just standing there, and we could—"

"Let's see you talk like _that_," Midna snapped as she jammed the bottle over Navi and smashed the cork through the opening to trap her inside, Link snickering in the background. Emit-Link looked horrified and outraged, but Midna was already out the window and heading for the shrine, laughing to herself in the soothing darkness. Muffled tinkling came from the bottle, and Midna paused in the night air to watch the light inside the bottle turn various shades of red and purple. "Eeeheehee! You're _much_ cuter like that, Twinkles!"

A dull thud against the bottle's glass was her answer. Smirking, she waltzed around to the other side of the mountain to the shrine, taking her sweet time, her expression mockingly serene to irritate the captive fairy even more.

But when the shrine finally came into view, Midna paused in midair and watched the fairy struggle, musing in the night. "So…ten bottles, Twinkles? What was that all about?"

After a brief moment, Midna realized that Navi couldn't hear her. Perhaps it was for the better, for on second thought, Midna didn't want that answered. Midna suspected that the people who would tell the truth didn't know and the people who knew wouldn't tell—a fascinating quote from an old book she'd been forced to read long ago, written by some person who'd never even bothered to leave their name. She popped the cork and dumped Navi unceremoniously out via much unnecessary shaking, amused with this new weapon called the bottle. Navi tumbled out, furious, already yelling even as she tried to untangle her wings. "—and how _could_ you do that to me like I'm some sort of healing fairy! Don't you know I could have suffocated and _died_ in—"

Midna just gave one more giggle and drifted away. "You're wasting time, Twinkles!" Midna called back.

"Dear Twilight!" Midna cried, throwing her hands in the air. "Are you kidding me?! When I asked if we were going to sit here and watch the grass grow, I hadn't meant that we should actually _do_ that!"

Kid-Link shrugged. "The bomb flowers need to grow. Didn't Navi say that if I carefully water a dead bomb flower for five hours, it'll be ready to use?" He pointed over the railing at the dead spring and the boulder, then nudged the shriveled bomb flowers at his feet.

Midna threw her arms up. "I give up! You're seriously going to just sit here for _five freaking hours_? Aren't you going to get bored?"

Kid-Link shrugged again. "You wanna do it?"

"Not particularly."

He laughed, pulling the piece of string from the boat and lacing it around his fingers. "Didn't think so," he remarked, doing a little butt-wiggle to get himself comfortable on the sandy ground, shielding his eyes with his hand to keep the dust in the air out of his eyes. His fingers seemed to go on auto-pilot, forming a loop in his left hand, another loop in his right, then pulling the right loop through the left. Then he did it again…and again… Midna growled. How long did he intend to do that? Was that how he was going to keep himself amused for five freaking hours? Just as Midna sighed, the kid added, "I wouldn't let you do it, anyway."

Midna didn't bother asking why. She just sighed again and rubbed her head, searching her head for suitable way to pass the five freaking hours he'd decided to spend watching plants grow. The wind whistled past her, putting a rather forlorn soundtrack to her thinking. Navi drifted out to place herself besides Kid-Link, but Midna didn't move from her imaginary seat in the air.

"…Ah! I've got it!" Midna snapped her fingers, pleased with herself. "Twinkles, _you_ watch the kid. I've got somewhere else to go."

"What?" Navi cried. "You can't just…just…_ditch_ like that!"

"Watch me." Midna giggled at Navi's frustration and leaned back in the air lazily. "You can watch one little brat for a while, can't you? You can do that much."

Navi was still for a long moment, and Kid-Link's head flipped between Midna, who crossed her arms with amusement, and Navi herself, whose wings lay limply on the dirty ground in her complete stillness. "…Fine," Navi replied quietly. "I don't suppose there's anything I could do to help at this point anyway."

"You go do that, Twinkles," Midna said, dismissing the fairy's words. Without a single glance spared back, she danced her way across the spring and through the air, mingling with cooling shadows. Her mind was already fixated on the task ahead—collect as many rocks as she could in five hours.

Under normal—no, under _relatively_ normal situations, taking into account what the other Ritos became calling the Great Valoo Apocalypse, Bisht would be outside watching Dragon Roost Pond—that _was_ his position, after all—but instead he was inside watching a door. Of all things, a _door_. Whatever was going on at Dragon Roost Pond would never be known, because Bisht was always the one to report on activities at the pond. If, say, the spring suddenly filled with water again while Bisht wasn't there, the chieftain would never get word. Ah, well. Nothing would happen there anyway. The Great Valoo wasn't going to calm down anytime soon. Bisht knew because he'd had tried climbing Dragon Roost, too.

He wondered which was better—the post where he could see the sheer truth, or the one where he couldn't? One one hand, he could stay oblivious to the troubles of the Rito and wait for somebody else to fix it. Maybe Quill would do it; he was known as the dutiful, trusted Rito. A lot of people depended on him, and now, in the face of this problem, some people were placing their wagers on Quill finding some miraculous solution to all of this. Or maybe the new young attendant—what was her name? Meddie?—would finally get the Lord Valoo to speak rationally with her. Bisht knew what went on in Dragon Roost, and from what he could see, people judged her by the standards they had judged Komali's grandmother. Highly unfair, in Bisht's opinion. Meddie…Melley…Medli? The attendant wasn't even fully fluent with the language the great Valoo spoke.

Regardless of the attendant, Bisht came to the conclusion he'd much rather be outside. He _was_ a part of the police force, wasn't he? The reason why he was part of the police force was because he had wanted to protect the Ritos. And protecting them meant he knew what was going on and wasn't trying to hide in a little hole, taking advantage of the phrase, "Ignorance is bliss."

Of course, such thoughts had passed through Bisht's head many, many hours ago. Now he was wondering if he could get his brother, Basht, to take the night shift tonight. Ever since the enigmatic Emit and Reoh had arrived, Bisht hadn't slept at all. It was around eleven at night, leaving all of Rito Hall completely empty and silent, and Bisht had woken up at five…yesterday. Which meant he'd been awake for forty-two hours. Unfortunately, that girlfriend-obsessed, braindead Hoskit had forgot to assign somebody else to this position, once again making Bisht wonder how Hoskit had landed himself in a higher ranking than Bisht himself. If nobody else was there to take the shift, in Bisht's brain, that meant that unless somebody came to relieve him, he was going to stay here, fully awake, alert, and certainly not with a boredom-addled head. He had a duty to fulfill. Worrying about lack of sleep wasn't important. _Besides_, Bisht thought, _this way I can get Basht to shut up about having stayed awake on duty for seventy-two hours._

It still bothered Bisht, though, that at one point he thought he heard tinkling bells and a girl's voice from behind the door when he knew there were only two male adolescents inside. She said something about distractions and Dragon Roost Pond. Funny. Colleagues who'd had to stay up for far too long at their posts talked of dizziness, but never imaginary voices. He even opened the door and inspected the room, but there were only two people inside, just as it was supposed to be. Then, about ten minutes later, when he saw the boy in green trotting up the ramp towards him, Link's image looked a little blurry. Bisht blinked that one off and tightened his grip on his spear.

Link stopped in front of the door, looking at it curiously. Bisht waited for whatever Link had come for in the middle of the night, and eventually Link opened his mouth and asked shyly, "M-Mister Bisht, c-can I talk to Emit and Reoh?" He paused, then continued in that same shy tone, "Please?"

"No," Bisht immediately intoned. The rules were the rules. "I'm sorry, but it's part of my job."

"Even if you're right there and watching?"

"I'm sorry. No." He felt a flicker of guilt for being so cold to Link.

"Alright…" And before Bisht could stop him, Link smiled and made a hesitant movement towards the doorknob, saying, "Is it unlocked, Mister Bisht?" Immediately Bisht pointedly shifted his weight so Link stepped away, smiling sheepishly. "It's really unlocked?"

The flicker of guilt erased by Link's suspicious actions, Bisht lied, "No." In reality, they didn't have any locks on any doors except on the young master's door and the chieftain's door, but Link didn't need to know that. But guilt rose again from another source this time; what kind of policeman lied, even if it was for a good cause?

Link scratched his head. "Oh. Anyway, can I give you a message to give to them?"

"No."

Not breaking stride, Link bounced back, "Can I slide a letter under the door?"

Bisht saw nothing wrong with that one, but the answer wasn't going to change. "No."

"Can I put a letter in the postbox outside Rito Hall and give them a message that way?"

"No."

"Why not?"

Bisht wondered if the questions would ever end. "Because we won't deliver it."

"And why wouldn't you?"

Bisht didn't see anything wrong with delivering a letter that way, either, which was why Bisht was asking himself the same question Link was asking. Therefore, Bisht just kept his beak shut and didn't reply, merely keeping his gaze unwavering for a silent answer. Suddenly, Bisht was wishing Link would go away.

Link sighed, his shoulders slumping. "Okay, okay. By the way, can I borrow a bandage?"

"Why are you asking me?"

"I don't see any other Ritos."

There were Ritos posted outside but none inside, and at the same time, nobody was working at midnight. To a visitor like Link, it would indeed appear that there was only Bisht awake at the moment. Bisht asked, "Then why do you need a bandage?"

In response, the kid just held up his right arm like he was holding a shield, his forearm horizontal and displayed towards Bisht. Bisht couldn't really see anything all to clearly in the dim lighting, but he definitely could see the dark streak stretching a full five inches at a diagonal angle. Bisht's first thought was, _He's a kid; it's gotta be dried mud_.

Then, as it to comically prove him wrong, the "mud" streak started dripping at the left corner.

"Holy Din! Is that…!" As Link nodded, Bisht's eyes widened. Immediately, he gently clasped the arm and examined it in the bad lighting, squinting to make out the dimensions. For a long moment, Link just held still and let Bisht study the arm. He couldn't make out its depth in this light, but he guessed that since Link wasn't screaming in pain and looked, actually, not at all that bothered to have this amazingly long cut in his arm, the wound was relatively shallow. He could at least tell, however, that it was a very clean cut. Like something incredibly honed and sharp had cut it. Bisht whispered, "What happened?!"

"I fell."

A prime example of bull. It was pretty clear from the way Link's eyes darted to the left and he was nothing short of shifty and tense. And just from examining the cut itself even in this bad light, there was no way in the name of the sky a fall could have done that. It was too clean. Even if Link had fallen on a sharp rock and scraped it, a perfectly clean cut like this was impossible. The stone would have to have been less than a millimeter thick. Had he been messing with knives? But all knives were kept strictly in the kitchen or the hospital wing. Bisht was sure that none of the guard's spears could have caused this, because if it had, that was going to be one sorry guard. Not to mention that there were no guards that stupid. From there, Bisht couldn't think of any other sharp objects lying around.

As Bisht's eyes fell on the hilt of Link's sword that peeked out from behind Link's shoulder, it seemed to glare at him, so Bisht quickly looked away. "…Were you playing with…that?" Bisht made an awkward nod towards the hilt.

"No, Mister Bisht." Link fidgeted again. "I-I fell."

This kid sucked at lying really, really badly. Bisht just sighed and let the question drop. Well, even if it hadn't been that _thing_ that Link really shouldn't be carrying at such an age, there were probably billions of ways for kids to get hurt on Dragon Roost anyway—the bomb flowers, while definitely not the cause of this, was the most obvious example of Dragon Roost's many dangers. Dragon Roost was not exactly the safest place in the Great Sea, and Bisht himself had practically lived in the medic room when he was a kid. Bisht told Link, "There's a medic on the ground floor. Go see him; you probably need red potion. And you'll most definitely need to bandage that."

"Um…okay…" Link uneasily wandered back down the long ramp, leaving Bisht slightly torn. It felt horrible to give directions and not accompany the kid merely so Bisht could stay at his post. He felt like he was blowing the kid off.

Just when Bisht had convinced himself Link had surely gotten to the medic room by himself, Link's darkened silhouette came running into view, going around and around the spiraling ramp. Bisht inwardly groaned. The kid skidded to a half in front of Bisht, his face slightly panicked. "M-Mister Bisht, I can't find it!"

Great. Bisht glanced at the room behind him, blinking rapidly in an attempt to ward off sleep in this moment of decision. It…really couldn't hurt to leave just for a few minutes…right? He'd leave quietly, so they'd think he was still there.

He told Link in a whisper, "Er…come on. I'll take you, then."

"Thank you!" Link exclaimed loudly, making Bisht hiss, "Shhhh!" and glance at the door. Link seemed a little too happy considering he had a five-inch-long gash in his arm, but Bisht didn't really think about that. All he could think about was how to get down the ramp and back up in the least possible time…without flying on the way down because of Link, Bisht reminded himself, although he would certainly fly on the way up.

So as soon as Link disappeared inside the medic room, Bisht took to the air and shot upwards, rising so fast Bisht nearly missed the correct door in this dark light. Just because the postmen weren't working, apparently, the torches didn't have to be on. It had always bugged Bisht that the postmen were treated so much better than the police. Upon landing, Bisht shook his feathers out and immediately pressed his ear to the door. At first, he didn't hear anything, but soon he thought he heard faint breathing. He waited a bit longer, unsure of whether or not it was his imagination or not.

"…Do you think they'd give us a bottle if we asked? I kind of need some sort of amusement at the moment," a muffled, distinctly male voice drawled, as if to purposely dispel any thoughts Bisht might have had. But that wasn't really Bisht's concern. There were people behind that door, Bisht confirmed, and he breathed out a sigh of relief. Assuming his position in front of the door, Bisht stretched his back, rubbed his eyes, and stood at attention once more.

"Because I want you two with me. Y'know, cuz we're friends and stuffs. Travel buddies."

Normally, Link wouldn't have let that one slide, but considering Kid-Link's naivety level, which would easily allow him to (stupidly) trust people he'd just met, it was a passable excuse. Still…it avoided a lot of questions.

"Oh, and because it's not right for the Ritos to stick you in jail," Kid-Link added, dusting himself off. "I don't like that. So I got you out."

For that, Link assumed that the Ritos had told him that they'd been "arrested." It didn't make sense if they'd told him something different and the kid had still figured out what had happened.

"Weren't we supposed to get Din's Pearl?" Emit-Link cut in. "Does Valoo have it, like the King of Red Lions said?

The bomb blew from inside the statue's jar, making Link glance nervously back at Rito Hall. These explosions weren't exactly quiet. Kid-Link shrugged nonchalantly. "Yeah, but Komali has it and he's not giving it up. Only if Valoo calms down will Komali be even remotely in the mood to give that up. I don't particularly think we'll succeed when everybody else hasn't, but we can try." Kid-Link looked back at Emit-Link just as the second statue slammed into the lava surface, spraying dangerously close to them. With a grin, he added pointedly, "So technically we _are_ still on track.

Link snickered. The kid had accurately picked up how goal-oriented Emit-Link was. Emit-Link's eyes seemed to frown, but he didn't say anything more.

Kid-Link stepped on the fallen statue's flat backside without blinking an eye, easily crossing the lava pool with the statue path he'd created. Link had to give him credit for not even hesitating to step on a statue like that to cross lava. Emit-Link, when he'd first seen lava in Dodongo Cavern, had taken five minutes until Navi successfully persuaded him to cross. The kid waved from the other side, his figure framed by the cave entrance behind him. "C'mere! I want to see what's up with this Valoo before Medli figures it out and follows."

Shrugging, Link bounded across, eager for what was going to happen. Climbing a dangerous mountain, from the looks of the pool they just crossed, with a raging dragon at the top sounded promising. In turn, he called back over his shoulder, "Let's go, Emit!"

It took him a few seconds to realize that Emit-Link wasn't following. When Link stopped and wheeled around, squinting in the night at Emit-Link's unclear form, Emit-Link just took a breath and scuffed his feet. "I think I'll wait for Midna and Navi. They don't know where the entrance to the cavern is."

Since when had Emit-Link gave a damn about Midna? And Emit-Link going out of his way to care about Navi didn't fit—those kinds of actions hadn't fit their relationship at all since seven years ago, despite what it appeared to be. Link watched Emit-Link, then the lava pool that separated them in the narrow path, and finally into the dakness towards Rito Hall. "I'm sure they can find their way here by themselves," Link replied testily.

Although it was dark, Link could see Emit-Link's eyes staring wryly at him. "So you _want_ to spend time around me?"

Link recoiled, shooting a glare at him before whipping around and bounding up the stairs into the cavern entrance.

He didn't bother watching Reoh-Link go. He just sat, much like he did on those roofs back at Hyrule, and waited for Navi and Midna.

Link knew what Reoh-Link would ask. He didn't need anybody to tell him what would occur once he left those two alone. He was practically clockwork. Link knew what would happen, because Link knew that idiot inside and out, whether he liked it or not.

But it wasn't like Link could help him, even thought he wanted to. Link would, actually, love to help him, despite all of Reoh-Link shortcomings and immaturity and lack of respect and dishonesty and…generally everything, but it wasn't like Reoh-Link would let him help. Link would only make it worse if he tried, so Link would just have to bite his lip and keep it to himself, even if it make Link feel horrible and infuriatingly helpless. Hopefully, Reoh-Link would work it out by himself.

So Link just sat like he did back then on Hyrule's roofs, waiting in the night, surrounded by the silence he'd come to welcome.

If he hadn't been thinking so much Reoh-Link, he would have noticed how it didn't quite feel right anymore.

What waited ahead? Link ran after the kid, shaking off his irritation at the prospect of this climb. There was danger ahead! There was an entire mountain to explore! A smile growing under his mask, Link stepped through the dark opening—and nearly tripped.

The _smell_…

Kid-Link didn't notice and asked, "Where's Emit?"

"Outside, waiting for Midna and Navi."

"Oh." He hesitated, then picked up on his enthusiastic entrance and pointed at the statues seated on the stone blocks. "Whoa! That's so awesome…"

They looked like…weird, ugly, lumpy rock-things. Link tilted his head to the side, amused by this portrayal of what could be a vague interpretation to a certain race. What would Emit-Link say of this? He'd probably be thrilled at the potential Death Mountain reference. Link's eyes traveled upwards to the green twin dragons. Emit-Link would probably say something like, "That must be Volvagia before he was reincarnated," or something along those lines. He'd try to convince himself with every single goddessdamned clue that this could be Death Mountain.

But no matter how Link looked at it, it just didn't seem very interesting to be revisiting a place. Link himself hadn't actually visited this specific Dragon Roost Cavern, but he'd been in the Goron Mines, mentally in Dodongo Cavern and the Fire Temple. And if this Dragon Roost Island was indeed the remnants of Death Mountain, a place Link had been to already, somehow this "new" place would lose its luster. New places weren't places Link had already been to. Places Link had already been to have already been explored. It simply wasn't interesting. Emit-Link wouldn't have agreed, and would probably be thinking of all the evidence that this was Death Mountain, trying to convince himself that something of the Hyrule he "loved" still existed.

The fool couldn't see the forest for the trees. Link was glad that he himself wasn't like that…

Kid-Link had immediately set to working on the line of blocks, wriggling his fingers into the crack between the two to pry the stone apart. There was an entrance behind the center block, and that was obviously what the kid was after. Link scratched his head, unsure of whether or not he was supposed to be excited or irritated. If it had been just himself going into that opening, it would have been the usual excitement and hype and whatnot. But this wasn't intended for him; this entire thing was for the kid.

And this entire place stunk of dungeon.

The dungeon smell was…a unique smell. Even in this new ocean world that emanated salt a billion times over, this dungeon's smell was no different from any dungeon Link had experienced, be it his own dungeons or Emit-Link's dungeons. Not even the mask over Link's nose could block out the scent. It was sour, but its sharp tang slightly muted with a musty tinge. Link thought he could smell something rotting, but something sweet and fresh at the same time. There was a bit of overkill in that sweetness, too, inducing a bit of light-headedness…or, it should. The effect was brought down with the crisp tang of that untraceable fresh scent, sort of like morning dew. That in turn was ruined by the rotting smell. The dungeon smell was unforgettable, especially for somebody who'd been roaming them as a wolf. Sour, sweet, musty, rotting, fresh… Everything seemed to cancel each other out in some sort of incessant chase. At times, it hurt Link's nose and gave him a headache.

Kid-Link stopped trying then, letting go of his grip on the block. "Reoh, help?" Kid-Link pleaded.

The block did look rather heavy, but pulling it shouldn't have been that hard for the kid. Link eyed the bandage around Kid-Link's arm and asked, "Is the result of your 'fall' proving to be a problem?"

Before answering, the kid glanced away guiltily. "Kinda."

Link rolled his eyes and approached the block. The line of blocks was set in a little ditch to limit how one could move the blocks, the ditch being an L shape. He'd have to move the left-most block towards himself, then the center block to the left, where the left block had been. Simple. Even Kid-Link had obviously figured it out immediately, he just didn't have the power to put that plan into action. And for Link himself, it would be child's play to move this thing, it was so small. Link pushed his own fingers into the crack and prepared to pull it.

"Are you sure you want to go into this cavern?"

The question seemed to catch Kid-Link off-guard, but to be fair, it was pretty out of the blue. Out of the corner of Link's eye, he blinked several times, his weight shifting backwards and his head tilting to the side. "What's that supposed to mean? I'm here, aren't I?"

Link didn't reply, only tugged at the block in a weak façade of trying. It didn't even move, which just went to show how he wasn't trying at all. What Link meant, of course, was if Kid-Link wanted to take the first real step towards becoming the Hero. Dungeons were definite trademarks of the Hero. The kid didn't even have a real reason for doing this dungeon, either; all the kid wanted was to see what he could do about this dragon problem. Nobody asked him, nobody forced him, the Ritos had even told him to stay out of it, according to what the kid had said. But overall, it was just a kid deciding he wanted to do it for the hell of it. But did Kid-Link know what the consequences of that would be? Obviously, no.

This was question one. Should Link tell him straight out here and now in front of this block that separated the kid from his first dungeon that he was going to be a Hero responsible for everybody's lives and safety? All previous situations were null, considering background and circumstances were different…

Was he really going to get sucked back into that? Link shook his head, pulled the block backwards halfway with feigned effort, and changed tactics to question two. "Let me put it this way: why are you going in there?"

"Because I want to see what I can do about this issue. I want to help the Ritos and Komali."

A good policy, Link reflected, pulling the block back a few more inches. And perhaps a little more responsible-sounding than what he'd expected out of the spazzball. But what surprised him was what the kid said next:

"Funny," he laughed, " this must be the first time I'm doing something that's not for Aryll."

Link's eyebrows shot up and he stopped pretending to be moving the block. "The first time?"

"Well, yeah." He shrugged nonchalantly as if this kind of thing just that common. "It was a small world on Outset—just me, Aryll, and Grandma. And everybody else, of course, but I wasn't related to them, right? So Grandma takes care of herself. She mostly left us to ourselves and wasn't a fussy adult, like Aunty Rose. I end up spending all my time with Aryll, doing things with Aryll, looking out for her, that sort of thing. Even if we have to play with Joel and Zill, Aryll was still there with me. And eventually I started doing everything for her. Everything's purpose was her. And eventually," Kid-Link said with a goofy smile, "the world began to revolve around her." He spun one finger around in a circle and laughed cheerfully. The way he'd said that, it'd sounded like he was talking about his girlfriend.

Yet while this was interesting information, Link wasn't exactly concerned. The questions were more important. With a defeated air, Link slid the first block all the way back and moved to the next one, and this time the kid tried to help, although his right hand was still obviously not being used too much.

As Link watched the kid try to haul the block back as best as he could with an injured arm, it clearly morphed into a question two thing: what if he didn't want to be the Hero? That was a stupid morality question that Link just couldn't get past. Once Link got up with that question, there was no going anywhere. Link groaned, watching Kid-Link struggle to pull the block beside him, oblivious to his cycling thoughts. The way his thoughts were progressing were quite similar to the kid's progress with the block—there was absolutely no progress. The second block hadn't moved more than an inch, and Link's train of thought hadn't progressed any farther than it had last night.

"Reoh…"

Kid-Link let go of the block and stared at it, but his eyes weren't focusing. "You know how you asked me why I wanted to go up this mountain?"

"Yeah?"

He absently fiddled with the tip of his hat, biting his lip as he tried to phrase it. "I think…that because this way…if everything that happens depends on me and me alone…I don't have to…leave it up to somebody else, where I…have no control in the situation, I guess. It's like…this way…I can make sure…with my own two hands…that everything will work out."

The kid seemed so awkward saying this that Link didn't know what to say. And was this even an answer?

"You…know what Uncle Sturgeon once told me?"

"No. What?"

Taking a deep breath, the kid looked up straight at Link and said, "He said I can always change the future with the now."

Blinking, Link stared at the kid. The kid giggled slightly at Link's solitary raised eyebrow, smiling wider, rubbing the bandage around his arm.

"I have the freedom to change the end of the story. That's what I've always believed."

Then, abruptly shuffling uneasily and blushing, he muttered, "Uh…ehehe… I know, uh, that sounds cheesy, but, eh, that's what I think. It's like with, erm, Aryll, you know? I want her safe, so, uh, yeah, I'll go rescue her. Or I want to, er, find Tetra, so I'll go do that." He smiled again, looking sheepish.

Chewing his lip, Link fought back a rueful smile. "You," Link remarked, "really are an uncute brat."

Kid-Link suddenly laughed, his laughter bouncing off the surrounding stone walls so it sounded like five people were laughing behind the kid. "Why, thank you!"

Instead of laughing with the kid, Link sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, studying the block in front of him. Was that a yes or a no? Was it even an answer? Why couldn't things just be more straight-forward?! Things were so unnecessarily complicated, Link reflected, and it was starting to get on his nerves. After a moment's hesitation, he seized the corners of the block and dragged it all the way back, revealing, with quite a lot of dust, the entrance. Kid-Link didn't even blink—he'd known that Link wasn't trying. For a long, silent moment, Kid-Link stared at Link and Link stared at what he'd done.

Finally Link broke the silence, saying, "Well? What are you waiting for?" He waved at the entrance. "Go on."

The kid let out a little whoop and scampered through, face alight with excitement. "Thanks, Reoh!" he called back.

Alone, the dull thud of Link's fists against unyielding stone walls echoed unnaturally loud.


	33. The Other Side

Maybe he should make a bet with himself: would Emit and Reoh pass the test or not? He would have to choose whether he thought they'd pass or fail.

If he bet on the wrong outcome, he decided he'd go with something Orca mentioned a while back and he'd have to do fifty…what were they called? Push-ups? Yeah, that was it. Fifty of those whatevers sounded like a decent risk. It might be a little hard for his right arm, but he'd manage; push-ups couldn't be that hard, could they? And besides, he mentally joked, he might not even get out alive and be able to do those thingies anyway. Considering the danger of being in a fiery volcano combined with the added risk of being in a fiery volcano with two strangers he barely knew, he might not make it out of here.

He'd better, though. Aryll was waiting.

And speaking of Aryll…yeah, what _was_ he doing? How could he risk leaving Aryll all alone save the monsters and the big man called Ganondorf in that Forsaken Fortress until she died? Had he gone insane? It'd taken him an hour to come up with a decent excuse to go hiking up a mountain. Actually, the same excuse he'd given Emit was the same excuse he'd given himself. Aryll was trapped, the first step to saving her was Din's Pearl, Komali had Din's Pearl, Komali didn't want to give it up because of Valoo, Valoo was at the top of this mountain. Hence: Climbing this mountain would be, in a way, helping Aryll.

Well, he had to come up with _something_, right? Or his curiosity would eat him alive from the inside.

* * *

Link frowned.

Ignoring the two Bokoblin lying on the ground, Kid-Link sheathed his clean sword and walked calmly around the room, inspecting the pots on the wooden bench to the right, the ominous cauldron on the left, then finally up the stairs and peered at the door. He rattled the chains a bit, blew on the lock as if that would do something, then turned and asked, "Uh…I need a key, don't I?"

Link heard Navi call, "Locked doors need small keys, but the ones with iron bars need a something to activate it, like a switch. This is a locked door." So she'd help him with getting through his first dungeons, just as she did for him? It had always been a question for Link as to how she knew all she did, but he'd never asked. She once told him she'd never been outside the forest before the day she met him, but she wasn't surprised to see the sun, she'd known which way the castle was, she'd known what the Peahat by the Kokiri Forest was called _and_ its weaknesses, and she'd even known what animal Kaepora Gaebora was. So many things he didn't know about her.

As Link mulled it over, then teased the thought of actually getting around to asking Navi after knowing her for seven years and never getting the nerve up to know vital information like this, Reoh-Link wordlessly snatched the fallen Bokoblin's torch, which was burning abandoned on the floor, and stabbed at a pair of unlit torches. They were pretty suspicious, standing sentinel by a small platform, but Link still disapproved. Link wanted the boy to do it himself.

As if on cue, Kid-Link frowned, crossed his arms, and looked pointedly at Reoh-Link. In turn, Reoh-Link paused, then handed the torch over to the kid easily enough, shifting his fingers to get away from the kid's hand. As the kid took the stick, he glanced at Link, his gaze almost…accusing. But then the moment was gone and Kid-Link cheerfully poked one of the twin torches in the back of the room with the stick, trying to set it alight. A Bokoblin chose that moment to twitch, causing the kid to turn around nervously and watch it until he was sure it really wasn't going to wake up again.

Link glanced warily at the Bokoblins just as the kid did, but for a different reason. The kid hadn't killed them. Link had thought that he had gotten over it back at the previous island, since he'd unwaveringly killed six ChuChus. It wasn't that hard, was it? These monsters needed to be killed to they wouldn't cause problems for anybody else later. He eyed the Bokoblins with obvious distaste, and out of the corner of his eye, Kid-Link saw.

"Aw, don't give them that look, Emit," he complained. "I've just decided that…that sort of thing isn't for me." He paused, then added, "I even tried back there in the hole. It doesn't work. I'm doing it my own way, and my way happens to include the flat of my sword, Emit." He lifted his chin, as if to say, And I _dare_ you to tell me otherwise.

Link suppressed another sigh.

"Hey." Link glanced to his right, where Reoh-Link stood with his arms folded adamantly. In a stage whisper, yet with his eyes averted towards the kid, Reoh-Link hissed, "Get off it!"

Eyes narrowed, Link opened his mouth to reply, but: "We'll confront that when the time comes. Cross that bridge," Reoh-Link said firmly, "when we get there."

Link pursed his lips, but decided to not press it, taking solace in what he knew was inevitable.

Kid-Link didn't seem to notice their discussion as he successfully lit the first torch and moved on to the second. Upon lighting that one too, a wooden treasure chest appeared between the two torches, earning absolutely no reaction from either Link or Reoh-Link but a shriek on Kid-Link's part. He looked almost scared at the appearance of the chest. "W-What happened?"

"We'll explain all about it, kid," Reoh-Link promised, "but for now, let's open the door, shall we? There's a key in there."

After hesitantly opening the chest—Kid-Link's face looked like he was terrified it would bite his hand off—he reached all the way in, almost falling into the chest, and pulled out a small key. "Whoa…" Terror changed to amazement as he looked at the chest again, then the key. Eagerly, he dashed to the door and tried jamming the key in, but when he couldn't fit it, he slowed down on the enthusiasm and inserted it slowly. It fit with a _click_ and turned with a rusty grinding noise. The lock suddenly emitted a loud _SNAP_ and fell, thudding on the dirt ground, while the chains on the door hung limply. Kid-Link grabbed his key, which was still stuck in the keyhole, and pulled, but it wouldn't come out of the lock. He pulled harder, determined to free his key, but the key broke, cracking in half and letting the kid fall on his butt.

He stared at his broken key half, looking at the rusted place where it'd broke. "But…" he said slowly, " I…wanted to keep the magical key…" He looked so disappointed that it was almost funny.

"Nobody gets to keep keys." Reoh-Link stood impatiently in front of the door, his eyes shining with excitement. "If you don't mind, I want to see what's beyond this door. Less talk, more do."

Kid-Link rolled his eyes and took a step towards the door. The door shot up, making the kid jump back in surprise. The door closed immediately, leaving the kid to stare bewilderedly at first Reoh-Link, then the door.

Reoh-Link seemed amused at the kid's reaction. "They're automatic. Why so surprised?"

As Link climbed the stairs towards the door, leaving the unconscious Bokoblins behind, he looked back. He'd tried to get him to cross the threshold back at Forsaken Fortress, but it seemed that he really was _that_ averted to blood…

"Oh, stop glaring at me like that," Reoh-Link snapped at Link, still standing by the closed door.

Link just glanced pointedly back at the Bokoblins behind them, folding his arms. He didn't say anything. Reoh-Link would know.

"Come off it," said Reoh-Link. "You don't get to act like you never went through that before. In fact, while I was the one who never had these problems, you were even more extreme than him." Reoh-Link still didn't meet his eyes, instead looking over Link's shoulder or at the kid. But even without eye contact, it was easy to see his mocking sneer. "You should be _sympathizing_ with him!"

"'More extreme'?" Kid-Link repeated, turning towards Reoh-Link. "You mean he didn't like killing things too?"

That was _his_ business, and in warning, Link shot Reoh-Link a glare, trying to tell him to keep his flapping mouth _shut_. Not surprisingly, Reoh-Link ignored him with a certain relish that made Link's gut clench.

"Sure." With a smirk, he jabbed his thumb at Link and added, "He was a vegan who cried over dead ants until he was eleven."

Kid-Link snorted with restrained giggles. Navi seated herself on Link's shoulder, as if trying to tell him to ignore the prod. Link refused to twitch and didn't try to reply to Reoh-Link's comment, just followed them through the door, face calm.

He'd get his way eventually.

* * *

Reoh threw himself down in the sand and examined his feet, breathing swear words over and over like a mantra. Link peered at his feet, wincing at the angry blisters. "Erm…we're out!" he said hopefully.

"For now. We'll have to go back in," Reoh retorted, picking irritably at his toe, "and then my feet are toast."

"They're already toast, though."

"Croutons, then."

"Don't you have shoes?" Link asked.

"No."

"Yes," Emit whispered under his breath. "Perfectly fine boots…"

"…Is…that so…?" Link glanced at Emit, but didn't press the question when Reoh shot a glare at Emit. It looked like a dangerous question—there should be no reason why he _wouldn't_ wear the boots unless it was something he really didn't want to do, which meant there was probably some sort of meaning or story behind the boots. But then again, these were just guesses he couldn't voice. Instead, he stored it away and said, "You want to borrow mine?"

"No. You want crouton feet too?"

Emit offered, "Do you want to borrow my shoes?"

"I would say yes just get you burnt feet, but I think I'll decline." Reoh shot a venomous glance up at Emit. "I don't want your sympathy."

Emit didn't seem to react to Reoh's obviously hostile tone, simply shrugged and looked away. Link stared at Reoh before shaking his head quickly and telling himself to shut up before he said something.

"Don't you have, like, I dunno, any sort of cloth to wrap around it?" Link said, exasperated. He didn't like seeing Reoh literally walk on hot coals. Not to mention that Link's own feet were pretty uncomfortable in his own boots, so it must be horrible to have _no_ shoes and be walking around in the cavern.

"Um…yeah, I do, actually." Reoh reached into the pouch strapped to his belt and rummaged inside before coming up with a snarled-up wad of white strips. He almost laughed, but it came out more like a grimace. "Why didn't I think of bandages before?"

"You were too busy swearing," Link told him politely.

Reoh didn't reply, but rolled his eyes as he started wrapping his feet, Emit looking on carefully.

Sighing, Link glanced back at the door they'd exited. This was like a pause in the action. Somehow, the obvious path through what Emit and Reoh called a "dungeon" had led them here to the actual outside of the mountain, where there was a break. And yes, there had been monsters and small puzzles and rocks to blow up and what seemed like _entire seas of lava_ and all sort of…things. It was amazing. It was unbelievable. (Or was the fact that he used to live on a small, unchanging island unbelievable?) Had the Ritos built all this? Or was this more "dungeon-logic," as Reoh called it? Either way, Link had been right: this place was much, much too dangerous for a single little Rito like Medli. Whatwith lava and puzzles and monsters, Link was glad he was here, not her.

After going through the last door, they'd ended up on some sort of ledge outside the mountain with a wooden suspension bridge to the right. Before even so much as looking at the bridge, he peered over the edge and looked down carefully. Even in the dark, he could see that they were _really_ high up, much to Link's delight. He watched the ocean, a seemingly seamless mass of black outlined with a little white from the moonlight—after all, it _was_ in the middle of the night. It still disappointed him that he couldn't hear it, but nonetheless, he was grateful to once again see the ocean.

From here on this ledge, there was only one way to go: across the bridge. So he reluctantly turned his attention to the bridge…and narrowed his eyes.

Come _on_.

A Bokoblin stood on the other side of the bridge, a stick in its hand. The monster sniffed the air, scanning the scene, but it still hadn't seen them yet. Reoh had said they had absolutely horrendous eyesight—they could barely see blurs past six, seven meters, and it'd be even worse in the night. If Link tried to cross the bridge, the Bokblin would attack him, rushing forward and therefore bringing it onto a three-foot-wide wooden bridge. From there, usually Link would hit it with the flat of his sword, but if he did that, the Boioblin might fall off and into the water. Link glanced over the edge again, frowning. There was no way anything would survive a fall of that size.

Link stared uncertainly at the Bokoblin, then unclipped his shield and decided he would use this. He'd keep it as far away from the edges as he could, but pushing it towards the far end of the bridge at the same time. Once they were on the other side he'd knock it out and leave. He advanced slowly—or would it be better to rush the monster? So he'd get as close to the other side as he could before the Bokoblin could react? If he could get right up close to it before it registered what was happening, he might be able to push past it and therefore the Bokoblin would chase him and lead itself further onto the opposite side, a stone platform wide enough that Link was fairly sure that he could keep the Bokoblin on the ground.

He glanced behind him and saw Emit point at a bandage, whispering something Link couldn't hear, and Reoh hissing something about goats—whatever a "goat" was—in return. Were they watching him out of the corner of their eyes? On one hand, he liked to think that they were, but on the other hand, he wanted to do this himself. He found himself unconsciously trying to be quiet so they wouldn't notice, as if he were doing something wrong.

Halfway across, the Bokoblin's beady eyes locked onto Link and its slumped posture snapped to attention. Link stopped, then slowly backed away so it would follow him. He'd let it follow him to the side of the bridge he'd just came from…

But the Bokoblin hobbled towards him faster than he anticipated. Surprised, Link tried to walk backwards faster, but his foot caught on one of the bridge's wooden boards. He tripped, causing the bridge to swing slightly, and he wobbled for a moment before falling down completely on his butt. The bridge trembled again, and the Bokoblin faltered, nearly falling, making Link's heart jump into his mouth. He barely registered Reoh crying something in the background, he was so focused on this Bokoblin. Without really thinking, he scrambled to get back up, causing the bridge to sway even more violently, but the Bokoblin was already there in front of him, raising its weapon with a screech, and Link lifted his shield on reflex—

The stick smacked his shield and bounced off, sending the Bokoblin off-balance and skidding backwards. The monster stumbled on the same board Link had, teetering near the edge…and vanished as it slipped off.

Link's eyes widened in shock, his body reacting before he realized. "No! You can't—!" Link dropped his shield and dove for the Bokoblin, seizing one of its arms before it could disappear into the water far below. His stomach lurched as he felt himself nearly fall off as well—he was lying down on the bridge, and too much of his torso was over the edge, causing his legs to thrash wildly as he tried to stay where he was. Beginning to slide forward, the edge of the bridge almost at his lower stomach, he felt somebody snatch his frantic legs, and he twisted around to see Reoh glaring at him.

"Stop trying to kick my face off," he growled, "or I'll drop you."

Link guessed that this was Reoh's way of saying, "I've got you, so relax," although why he didn't just say that, Link didn't know. He hadn't known Reoh long enough for that. Regardless, Link smiled in relief before quickly turning back to the Bokoblin. He tried to pull it back up on the bridge, but the Bokoblin was too heavy. It weighed about the same as Aryll, actually, he noted almost idly. But not only was it heavy, it was shrieking and kicking and squirming, so that wasn't making it any easier.

"Um…R-Reoh…?" Link twisted around to see Reoh staring at him, looking slightly amused, knowing what Link would say but waiting for it. "Can you…ughh…help? Like…er…" He tried to think properly, but it was kind of hard, because he was hanging halfway off a suspended bridge over a bajillion mile long fall into the ocean holding a thrashing Bokoblin in the middle of the night on a foreign mountain with a raging dragon on top. Like the saying 'pretty please with a cherry on top', he thought, then mentally kicked himself. "I mean… uh…"

"Pull you up?" Reoh asked dryly, then seized the back of Link's belt and tugged, pulling both Link and the Bokoblin. As Link was gently dragged backwards and finally got his balance back, he readjusted his grip, so he was holding the Bokoblin's forearm, almost by the Bokoblin's shoulder. The stick slipped out of the Bokoblin's other hand, and Link watched it fall until it was just a little brown speck against the massive black below, almost mesmerized by the faint blur growing smaller and smaller. That could have been the Bokoblin…

Then the stick vanished into the darkness, which was when the Bokoblin sank its teeth into Link's right hand.

Link gasped and let go instinctively, and the Bokoblin's leathery skin brushed past Link's fingers as it fell, squealing as it went. Link snatched at it desperately, but it was already gone. His legs began fighting against Reoh's hold as he strained to reach the Bokoblin that was already twenty meters beyond his reach. He wriggled and thrashed like he was back on Outset, straining for his fading sister. "Stop! L-Let me go! Let me _go_!" he cried to Reoh. "I'll—!"

"You'll _what_?" Reoh snapped. "Would you survive if I let you go jumping off the bridge?"

Link went still and watched the Bokoblin's outline grow smaller and smaller, gripping the edge of the wooden bridge so hard he thought the wood between his fingers should have snapped already. What was wrong with him? Why couldn't he keep it alive? Was he that weak? What was _wrong_ with him? He's tried, he'd really tried, but it still hadn't been good enough. Why not? It wasn't fair. Desperation set in as he realized that this may be much, much harder than it had initially seemed. Before, it has almost seemed like it didn't count. He hadn't been full-on trying to not kill anything for various reasons. But here he'd honestly tried. He wanted the wood between his fingers to break, but it never did, and that made it so much worse.

The Bokoblin disappeared, swallowed by the night. Link never heard the splash.

Reoh gently pulled Link back from the edge, just like he'd done back on the cliff at Outset. Link sat and stared at the water, dangling his legs off the edge, fingers still latched firmly around the edge of the bridge. The bite mark was bleeding, Link noticed. It was remarkably deep for a bite, and it throbbed slightly, like a pulse. He shifted his fingers so the moonlight reflected strangely on the blood, still staring at the dark ocean, then at the silver moon in the sky. Aryll's face flickered briefly on the moon.

"You okay?"

Link didn't move his eyes from the water. "Yeah. I'm fine."

"No, you're not. Here." Reoh handed him a few bandages. "Use it."

Link almost refused, then took them. He didn't use them, though.

"Wanna head back?" Reoh shifted uncomfortably before adding, "As in, leave the dungeon?"

Link's eyes flickered back and forth. How could Reoh even _suggest_ they do such a thing? Losing was one thing, but quitting was another, even if Reoh had suggested it with Link's best interests in mind.

"No."

Reoh peered at him carefully. "Sure?"

"No," Link repeated, perhaps a little harsher than he had intended. "I'm…not quitting."

Quitting bordered no rematches. Quitting was final. Quitting was disgusting.

"Let's go," said Link, hauling himself to his feet. He glanced back at Emit, who'd been standing and watching the entire time, and beckoned, trying his best to keep his gaze from turning to a glare. "We'll keep moving. Not good to get stuck on one thing." The bite mark still throbbing, Link picked his fallen shield up and headed for the ladder, leaving behind the Bokoblin who'd weighed the same as Aryll.

* * *

He scrambled up the ladder after the kid, worried. He'd just accidentally let a Bokoblin fall to its death; he couldn't be all fine and dandy. Link heard a faint _caw_, and glanced back below him. There was nothing there but Emit-Link and the bridge with the dead Bokoblin, and he wondered if there was a bird at the top of the ladder, instead. A monster or just a normal gull? Link hurriedly pulled himself up the top of the ladder—and stopped.

"Should we wait for Emit? I kind of want to keep moving," Kid-Link said calmly, sheathing his sword. "So much to explore, y'know? It's amazing." He smiled, gazing serenely around him in a sort of strange, oblivious wonder, then pointed at the nearby crack in the wall that was also spewing lava. "When that stops, it looks like a tight little ledge we'll have to sidle across. Think you guys will be able to get across, or is the ledge too small?"

"…Y…Yeah." Link blinked a few times. "I mean, we'll be fine."

What in the name of Farore...?

"Okay. Don't fall off, please?" He laughed cheerfully. He _was_ all fine and dandy—better than fine and dandy, even. He was happy. It made a morbid image, considering what was right behind his right foot. Kid-Link peered around Link, then commented, "I think I hear Emit coming up the ladder. I'll go first over the ledge, 'kay?"

Smiling pleasantly once again, he moved on to the ledge with the crack, stepping over the dead Kargaroc like it wasn't even there.

* * *

Link was just about to pull out the block—or try to, at least, considering his bad right arm—when he felt the stone vibrate. After untying the multiple granny knots and attempted thief knot that didn't really work, Link finally looped the stone back through its own string and freed it from the left side of his belt, which was where he'd been keeping it in case Tetra ever called (even if it was highly improbable at this point, but one could always hope). Breathless with anticipation, he quickly asked, "Tetra? Is that you? Where are you? What's going on? Are you—"

"No. I am not Tetra," said the voice, a deep male one. Link felt disappointed, but then again, who was he kidding? Did he really think it would be Tetra? Then Link thought it was Abe from Outset, but then he realized that this voice…sounded more like the King of Red Lions' voice. Maybe it was the magic interfering with the sound, because that couldn't be. The King of Red Lions didn't have hands to hold the stone, and he didn't have a stone to begin with.

Did he?

He filed the sound of the voice and moved on.

"Then who are you?" Link asked. Emit joined, peering over Link's right shoulder, silently asking the same question. Link shrugged in response to Emit, just waited for the mysterious caller's response.

"That is not important. Link," said the voice, ignoring Link and Emit, "have you—"

"Hold up," snapped Reoh, appearing at Link's right. "Who are you? Tell us who you are and then lecture us."

The voice paused, and Link could hear a slight breath on the other side. The person on the other end was clearly taken aback by Reoh's hostility.

Reoh glared at the stone even more. "No? Fine. You can keep secrets from us, but that doesn't mean we'll just eat it." His momentarily flickered towards his right, which was where his shadow was. Interesting. "I'm pretty sick of things too complicated and secrets. Who are you?" Reoh finished forcefully.

There was another silence, then stone fell back into Link's hand, lifeless. The connection had gone dead. Emit's eye twitched a little, like he really wanted to say something, but instead he just glanced at Navi, who had been silent almost the entire dungeon, and sighed.

"Someday," the sing-song voice told Reoh, "you're going to have to learn where the middle road is." Link couldn't tell if Midna was mocking Reoh just to irritate him or if that was actually advice. It all sounded the same. Reoh just ignored it, so Link assumed it to be the former.

Link shrugged, took one more look at the two to make sure he had all the facts straight, pocketed the stone and the moment, and continued on. He couldn't do much else.

* * *

Outside in the wind, it wasn't hard to put two and two together: a locked door on the right, a Kargaroc sitting on its nest with a key underneath it. It was understood easily enough. Kid-Link could see it too, and he drew his sword and approached the nest. Reoh-Link stood by the locked door, watching not only Kid-Link, but Link as well. Why? Link couldn't even fathom a guess. This was about the kid. Not Link. They couldn't even fight. They were rather...unneccesary here.

Link shifted in place. Not only was Reoh-Link's watching making him uncomfortable, the fact that he couldn't do anything but point out things for the kid was getting to him. He felt like a dead weight here.

With another suppressed sigh, Link looked away briefly, trying to get his head back on straight. If he kept thinking like this, he'd wind himself up in a bad mood when he wasn't allowed to be in one.

The nest was out on a peculiar ledge. There was a thin path, only about three feet wide, that extended out from the mountain. At the end of that thin path was the Kargaroc's nest. Seeing how similar this was the Bokoblin and the bridge, Link expected him to try to lure the Kargaroc to safe land, then knock it out, because that had been his clear plan back at the bridge. And then he'd take the key and leave the Kargaroc to wake up later, keyless. It wasn't what Link wanted him to do, but it was certainly what he _expected_ the kid to do.

But instead, the kid walked right up to the Kargaroc—faster than the Kargaroc could register—and swung. Hard.

The Kargaroc, having barely enough time to even register the intruder, screeched wildly, its thin neck already dripping black blood from the gash. It immediately took off, but away from Kid-Link, leaving the key virtually unprotected. Link assumed the kid would snatch the key and leave, but the kid pointblank ignored the key and waited for the Kargaroc, shield up and ready. When the Kargaroc approached the kid again and jabbed its head forward viciously, the kid blocked, stepped to the side of the stunned Kargaroc, raised his sword—

—and _cut its head off_.

With a sickening, gurgling shriek, the body thrashed wildly, feathers spraying, wings flapping, as it plummeted downwards and out of sight. The head, however, landed with a dull thud on edge, eyes growing sightless as it died, a bit of blood dripping from the corner of its beak. Kid-Link paused, wiped his sword on the nest, then picked up the key. On the way back to the door, he casually nudged the head without even bothering to look at it, letting it slip over and into the sea. The long neck trailed behind the head like a grotesque streamer as it vanished, leaving only a small blood stain on the ground behind it.

Link couldn't help but notice that the kid was humming, with what seemed for all the world to be honest cheer.

"Why do all these keys have to get stuck once you use them?" he complained to Reoh-Link when he reached the door. "If they didn't break, we wouldn't have to get a new one every time." He fitted the key into the lock and turned it, no longer jumping at the loud snap the lock emitted as it unlocked. As he tugged on the stuck key, like he'd done with all the other keys, he laughed, "They do make great souvenirs when they break, though." As the fragile key snapped in half under the pressure of Kid-Link's tugging, he grinned and held up his "souvenir."

Reoh-Link didn't move, but stayed immobile by the door, the only visible parts of his face frozen. Kid-Link opened the door and walked inside, but the door didn't close, evidently waiting for Reoh-Link and Link himself. Link whispered to Reoh-Link, "Isn't that good? He's getting over it quite fast." Link thought he heard his own voice waver, but when he re-examined his words, he couldn't decide if it was his own imagination or it really had happened.

"Aren't you disgusted with yourself?" Reoh-Link asked, obviously disgusted with Link.

Navi's wings beat a little faster from where she hovered. "No," responded Link. "Why… Why should I?"

Link quickly walked through the door without Reoh-Link, suddenly wanting to put distance between them.

* * *

At first Link thought the kid would try to avoid killing monsters, like he'd stated at the beginning of the temple. He'd then gone and supported Link's assumption, practically jumping off a bridge to save a Bokoblin. Then he goes and kills two Kargarocs in cold blood. Then he gets attacked by a swarm of Keese and instead of fighting, he earns himself forty or so scratches _everywhere_. His arms, legs, chest, neck, face. He wouldn't draw his sword, even as he was surrounded by screeching Keese bent on digging their claws into some part of him; he said if he tried to hit them with the flat of his sword, he might kill one on accident, either by hitting too hard or by unintentionally cutting with the sharp edge. Was this indecision or something that Link didn't know of?

But in this room, it didn't matter, did it? Cross the bridge when we get there, Link had said. Well, they certainly were there.

"I'm sorry," Link apologized suddenly.

The kid gave him a fish-eyed look. "What for? It's not your fault. _You're_ not the one making the doors stay closed."

Link knew that, but still looked away in frustration as Kid-Link closed his eyes and bowed his head for a second over the dead Bokoblins. His gaze accidentally hit the now-open door, and he turned away from that, too. He couldn't do anything but stand there.

And Emit-Link just watched. Link hated him even more.

Link didn't actually realize he was falling until Emit caught him. _Then_ Link realized why he was standing on air and Emit was holding his forearm in a very uncomfortable way, and it hurt so much Link would have thought he was trying to rip it off or something, but then again, Link wasn't going to be picky when he'd just saved his life.

Emit carefully set Link on solid ground, and they both faced the staircase Link had been standing on—until, of course, the very first stair, which Link had been standing on, had fallen away. Link could hear it crashing down the mountain, and realized that that could have been him…

"Moral of the story?" Reoh whispered from Link's left. "Look where you're standing. I noticed you tend to forget that." Reoh's eyes smiled mockingly, and Link giggled uncertainly, remembering the cliff back at Outset.

"I guess, eh?" Link shrugged, then said to Emit, "And thank you! If you hadn't done that, I woulda died."

Emit nodded. It's all business, Link realized, and he decided he liked the Emit he'd met back at the pirate ship better.

* * *

Medli woke in the middle of the night to the sound of what seemed like thunder at first. Was there a storm? It wouldn't be surprising, considering the Wind God's wrecked shrine outside. But all things considered, Medli still didn't think so. It sounded more like…boulders falling. A great crumbling noise, like when there were rockslides and boulders fell from the top of the mountain. Like the time the big boulder came crashing down and plugged the spring. The Great Valoo must be doing it, she concluded, and therefore it was her duty to investigate. So in the middle of the night, she hopped out of bed, still in her nightgown, and hurried out the door—only to backtrack and take her harp with her. She wouldn't go anywhere without it, even if it was just to go downstairs.

There wasn't any other Ritos out late at night, except Bisht, who was way at the top of the ramp, standing sentinel by a door. She did see a few Ritos poke their heads out their doors, bleary from sleep, and she nodded and smiled as she always did, mumbling, "Good evening" and "Hello." Nobody came out of their rooms like she did, though, and they all just closed their doors soon after. They probably assumed it was Lord Valoo throwing another fit and that Medli was going to see what it was about and if she could do anything. Medli herself assumed it was just another tantrum.

Once downstairs, she went to Dragon Roost Pond instead of the other way out, because Dragon Roost Pond had the entrance to the mountain path, and that was where any clues to this nighttime rumbling, it would be that way. She wouldn't actually get to the Great Valoo, Medli knew, because she couldn't fly up to the entrance of the path, but she might as well go and try since she _was_ technically his attendant...

Needless to say, Medli was shocked when she walked out to find the spring filled with, well, _water_.

She rushed to the edge and peered into the water, its surface dark and impenetrable with the darkness. She touched it. It was lukewarm despite the cold air, just like she remembered, and it warmed her fingers, which were already beginning to chill in the cold night air. The only thing that served as a reminder that the spring had ever dried in the first place was that there was no bridge like before, however—the bridge had collapsed and had been used as a ladder when the spring had been dry. No bridge would force the adult Ritos to fly over the spring now, since adult Ritos were feathered and wouldn't fare well in water. No, some adult Ritos couldn't even swim, and even the best adult Rito swimmer wouldn't survive in water longer than a minute. Chlidren could swim fine, though, if they bothered to learn how. Most didn't, since they wouldn't be able to swim no matter how good they were once they received their scale. Komali had always been a good swimmer, though, and when Medli had no wings Komali used to try to teach her how to swim—

Oh, what in the name of the sky was she doing? Sitting here and letting her mind wander?

She touched her wet fingers to her lips, reminding herself of this discovery. What had caused this? Had the crashing noises been the noise of the boulder plugging the spring cracking? No, that couldn't be possible. It would have taken at least ten minutes for the spring to refill and besides, a boulder cracking wouldn't cause the rumbling she'd heard. That had sounded similar to a rockslide.

Either way, this was amazing and should be reported to the Rito Chieftain immediately. Since the guard usually stationed here wasn't here, Medli realized that it was possible that only she knew of this, and it was now her duty to take it to the Rito Chieftain herself. So she hurried back inside, wiping her damp fingers against her nightgown, and all but sprinted up the ramp. She must hurry, yes, hurry and tell, and they'd take care of it for all the Ritos.

On the way up, though, she saw a door that was slightly open. It was a guest room. And since there were hardly any guests _ever_, period, in Dragon Roost, Medli knew immediately that the room was Link's room. Why was it open? She couldn't resist a peek inside as she rushed past.

Then she had to register what she'd seen while rushing up the ramp. She halted, backtracked, and looked again to make sure it hadn't been a trick of the light, or lack thereof.

And Medli's eyes hadn't fooled her. It was empty. Empty! Link wasn't in there!

Alone in the empty Rito Hall on the ramp, Medli brought her race to tell the chieftain to a grinding halt and stuck two and two together. The spring had mysteriously filled, enabling underage Ritos and yes, non-Ritos like Link, to swim across. Link was not in his room. There were loud crashing noises, probably rocks falling from the peak. And—this was the worst part—_Medli_ had asked _him_ to help _her_ in the dried spring. _She'd_ told him about Lord Valoo, about the way up, about the shrine, about her plan. She could have smacked herself right there and then.

For several long minutes, Medli just stood there, eyes frightened and unfocused, lip trembling tentatively. She had to weigh all the pros and cons of telling. She did so silently, unmoving, assessing all perspectives and consequences. If she told, if she told, if she told…she'd be in trouble. Yes. Obviously. Was that trouble worth risking going up the mountain and trying to bring Link down herself? Would she even be able to get across the spring? Swimming was a dangerous thing for a Rito with wings. She rubbed her arms, reminding herself her wings were still in the progress of filling out. She wouldn't sink as quickly as others… But she'd heard that the mountain was dangerous recently. Very, very dangerous. They weren't allowing just anybody up there—only the police force and Quill, and everybody knew why they'd make an exception for Quill. That was why she'd had to get Link's help in the first place. And she was but a small Rito anyway; even if she got across the spring, would she be able to accomplish anything? Was she really just going to let them handle it themselves again? Let them take over for her and leave her once again as an unnecessary accessory? But she was just one small Rito, how could she possibly make a difference—

"Medli?"

Medli let out a small shriek and whipped around, immediately guilty at being caught in the midst of this situation. But only Komali stood there, hugging his grandmother's pearl as always, the glow cast by the pearl carving deep shadows on his face, making him look like something out of a horror story with his large red eyes. Medli stared at him, frozen, clutching her harp to her chest, and Komali stared at her, confused, clutching Din's Pearl to his chest. Finally, Medli snapped out of it and quickly bowed, mumbling, "Young pri—"

"Komali," he said immediately, probably on reflex, his red eyes watching her. They were the eyes of someone hurt and wary of repetition, and Medli cringed at the sight of them as he added, rather unnecessarily, "Not prince. I hate it when people call me that." His hard, yet frightened, stare said the unspoken. He didn't like being called prince because he never felt like he deserved the title.

She chewed her lip before nodding in agreement. No use making him even more upset by purposely calling him a title he didn't want.

"What are you doing up at this time?" he asked. The harsh look in his eyes never changed.

Normally a response would have come easily, but it was as if she was talking to a stranger, and her throat constricted. "I-I heard…the…" Medli waved a hand helplessly. "The noise?" She sidled to Komali's left, trying to avert his gaze away from Link's empty room.

"What's going on?"

There was something almost accusing in his voice, something hostile, and Medli pressed her lips together. Suddenly she was frustrated—at herself, at him. She was powerless to do anything to help him. "I don't know," she replied, voice firm with non-existent confidence. It was more the anger and frustration that gave that assertive tone to her voice. "Please go back to bed, prince.

"Not prince."

Medli almost replied with an apology, but caught herself and stood her ground, instead coming back with: "Please go back to bed."

As Komali turned, his eyes lingered on her before peeling away, clearly suspicious. Medli tried not to waver in her own gaze, but as soon as he disappeared into his own corridor that branched out of the main hall, her shoulders slumped and she literally felt her fingers shaking. She felt weak and powerless; small, even insignificant. She squeezed the sides of her harp as tight as she dared.

It probably wasn't the wisest thing to do, but she made a decision in that judgment-addled moment. She tiptoed back to her room, making as little noise as she could, suddenly paranoid about the other Ritos sleeping in nearby rooms. She quickly changed into her attendant's dress, tied her hair into her usual ponytail, and strapped her harp to her back. Then, feeling a bit more prepared, she headed down to the spring.

She couldn't swim particularly well, to be honest. Komali had tried, but she'd never taken much interest in it, knowing that it would be, ultimately, futile due to the inevitable wings. It would be even harder with her almost complete wings. Rito flight feathers were oily enough to allow flight in rain, but not swimming, where the body was completely and utterly surrounded by water. If the feathers soaked before she got to the other side, she'd be sunk. She remembered what Komali had said: _Just keep your head above the water, and whatever you do, don't panic._ So with this in mind, she took a deep breath and climbed down the ladder as slowly as she could to lower herself into the water.

* * *

Like the scared little boy that he was, he watched from the shadows, still grasping the pearl tightly in his arms. What should he do? Should he try to help her? Should he stop her? Should he tell somebody? Stuck in indecision, he remained paralyzed by the entrance. Events unfolded, time went on, even as he stayed immobile in hesitation.

He watched as she climbed into the water.

He watched as she kicked off from the wall quickly, before her feathers soaked.

He watched as she tried to swim, wallowing awkwardly, not making much progress; she'd never been a good swimmer.

He watched as she gagged for the first time, choking on water briefly.

He watched as she got halfway across, but noting how her progress had dwindled to almost nothing.

He watched as she gagged for the second time, choking on water for much, much longer than just "briefly."

He watched as her head went under.

He watched as he realized she wasn't going to make it.

He watched as she realized she wasn't going to make it.

He watched as she panicked.

He watched as she went under.

He watched.

And he watched.

And watched.

Then suddenly it hit him like it hadn't before, because before it hadn't seemed real, but for some reason now it did: she was honest-to-Din going to _die_.

So why wouldn't he _move_?

It seemed like forever he hovered there in indecision, watching his best friend flail in the water. It should have been a sin. It probably was a sin. This was murder. His own stupid cowardly cowardice was going to _kill_ her. _Move_! he told himself. _Go_! Why wasn't he running to help her? What was holding him back? He squeezed the pearl in his hands. Nothing but himself and his own fear—but of what? He didn't know. It was nameless fear of nothing and everything. He wanted Grandma's help. Would he live out the rest of his life like this? Hovering in indecision and insecurity and cowardice? What a stupid prince he was. No wonder his father didn't bother with him. He thought that maybe he should run for help—but there was no time! She was going to die! Go! Run! What—what was holding him back—?

He held on desperately to the pearl in his hands, looking for comfort, but none would come from it.

* * *

Was she dead?

The next thing she knew, she was crying, but with wonderfully _solid_ ground beneath her fingers. It was sturdy, supportive, and she relished its security. But even with the ground beneath her, she was shuddering uncontrollably. Somebody was shaking her gently, saying her name, but she blocked the voice. It wasn't important.

She wasn't dead.

"…edli? Medli, can you hear me?"

She ignored the voice and went on crying. She didn't know how long she cried, only that the voice stopped eventually. The hands around her shoulders didn't leave, though. And she was very grateful.

She was _alive_.

Sitting on the wrong side of the spring, the side that would lead them further into the mountain, Komali waited until her sobs had dwindled to hiccups, his own eyes wide and blank. His fingers trembled. He was just a little Rito who'd failed to get his wings. Who'd been rejected by Valoo. Who had no self-confidence. And yet, he'd still been able to pull off something that could even be called…heroic.

Where had that courage come from?

Beside them was the spring. A small orange patch of water, distinct and bright against the surrounding dark waters, marked where he'd realized he'd jumped in the water holding Din's Pearl in his hands. Where he realized he couldn't save Medli holding it. Where what had once given him comfort was now a dead weight and would only hold him back; he'd held onto it for too long and now it was dragging him down. He'd need to swim without it.

But if he ever got his wings, he wouldn't have been able to fly with it anyway.

* * *

Author's Note: KOMALI SHOULD BE DEAD. DEADDER THAN DEAD. DEAD DEAD. DEADDER THAN DEAD DEAD.

DEAD.

Apparently, nobody teaches Ritos about double drowning. Even though they live on an ocean. _Amaaaaazing_.

On another note, I'm trying my best not to take too long with this dungeon. I'm not gonna have another pirate arc. Although they _are_ uber-important, it shouldn't have taken that long. So I'm trying my hardest to condense this as best as I can. Meaning I have to cut a _lot_ of what I had originally planned. It was longer. I also had to cut out TP Link's brain-dead theory about how dungeons work, including something even I don't understand about how the Bosses are like humangous power plants controlling all sorts of stuff in dungeons. And a very odd discussion on the definition of courage—you know, WW Link and his whys? So it's not like you missed out on a lot of stuff.

The way it's going, they'll get off Dragon Roost by the end of chapter 36, so there's reaching the boss, the boss, and resolution. Although I'd love to cut 36 in half and let them get off Dragon Roost by chapter 37, I'm a bit afriad that would take too long. (I'll be at chapter 200 when I finish, the rate I'm going.)

The only excuse I have for this late, late post is that I was deathly afraid of this chapter's quality. I didn't like it. Something about it was just...off. It didn't click with me. I'm not sure if it's quality, or if I've been working on it too long, or if I just don't like the content.

Anyway, next on _The Bachelorette_, our contestants have a conversation with a dragon, random friends of the Bachelorette that both happen to have wings (gee, I wonder who they are) do some amazingly stupid things (those wild kids), and canon gets a _huge_ smack to the face.


	34. Two Sets of Knees

A/N: OKAY! I give up!

…The schedule is scrapped.

I'm not telling _how_ it was scrapped, or in what way it was revised (because we all know _that_ would end up scrapped too as soon as I told you), so don't hold your breath. Apologies all around, it'll never happen again, mostly because I'll never make the mistake of thinking I have even the faintest control over how much time is spent on a particular place. In the end, I'll just rely on WW Link to keep your interest for one chapter longer.

Alright… With that done, you may go on to the beginning of that latest craziness I wound up writing. Have fun.

–

"Hm. _That's_ not good," remarked Link, trying to keep the atmosphere light, peering over the edge at the disappearing stairs. As they'd run up, the stairs had begun to crumble behind them, resulting in them having to synch their steps so nobody would get left behind. If anyone began going faster than anyone else, everyone would be in danger. Unfortunately, that was exactly what happened. Emit had started going too fast, then Reoh had started yelling at him, and then Reoh started racing with Emit, and then Link almost fell off the stairs—for the second time—because they were going too fast and Reoh had to grab his arm and pull him forward. They ended up at the top in one piece and standing in front of a stone wall with a gate which Link assumed to be the shrine, but not very happy with each other. So his attempt at levity was possibly in vain. Possibly.

"And you tell _me_ I'm irresponsible?" Reoh half-shouted. "You could have _killed_ him; he can't go at your pace, he has shorter legs—"

"He should have been able to keep up if he'd run faster," said Emit, calmly standing with his arms crossed. "We can't baby him forever—"

"I don't _care_, he could have _died_—"

"I know. I did it on purpose."

There was a silence, then: "You _know_? You did it on _purpose_?" Reoh gave him an incredulous look. Link, too, was a bit surprised the Emit had done it intentionally. Link had honestly been running as fast as he could—hadn't Emit seen that? "_I'm_ the one who does stupid pigheaded things, not _you_! And you're giving me crap like 'I know' and 'I did it on purpose'?"

In the dark, Emit's eyes were a bit harder to read, but Link could definitely see a glint of something in there. "He needs to become stronger. You know that too."

"Goddesses…" A derisive laugh escaped Reoh as he spun around, took one look at Link before spinning around again and facing, oddly enough, Navi. He said to her almost accusingly, "Tell him he's insane."

From where she floated, Navi seemed to shrink, but she still said, "Don't insult my ward." Link thought he saw Emit's eyes flicker to Navi and back, but he couldn't really tell in the night.

"Come on! You know that he—"

"Don't," Navi repeated forcefully, "insult _my ward_."

Reoh moaned, "And she's stil _defending_ him… _Still_ insisting… Loyal to a fault, aren't you?"

Navi didn't respond to that, but her wings' beat slowed. She probably agreed to that.

Receiving no help from Navi, Reoh rubbed his temples and eventually just sat down. Then, after a moment of just sitting and rubbing his temples, studying his bandaged feet, he flopped backwards and sprawled himself out on the ground, arms spread out like a bird's, staring at the sky. "Kid," Reoh mumbled from where he lay on the ground, "tell him he's insane."

Link told Emit, "You're insane."

"You don't mean or get it," Reoh muttered.

"No," Link agreed, "no, I don't." But he'd love to ask. Why they always seemed to be at odds, who Navi was to Emit, why they cared if he was strong or not—they were going to leave soon anyway, right? But they always seemed to talk like he was going out to do something amazing and they needed to train him to do that something. Like they were going to be around for a very long time, helping Link through this amazing thing that would presumably take a really long time. Come to think of it, when Link put it that way, they acted a _lot_ like Ishek, who seemed dead certain that Link was going out on some epic quest of epically epic proportions. Link watched Reoh, who was still lying on the ground with his eyes closed, and Emit, who was still standing, body language saying he just wanted Reoh's little show to be over so they could get a move on. The similarities to Ishek were strange. Very strange indeed.

"We're wasting time," Emit said suddenly. He glanced almost disdainfully at Reoh, who was still lying on the ground. "Get up."

What Emit had said was, technically, an order, and Link didn't have to know Reoh all that well to know he wasn't the person who reacted well to orders. Reoh cracked open one eye rather sharply, and Link winced. But instead of the tirade Link had expect, he simply spat, "_No_."

In response, Emit turned and positioned himself by the entrance to the shrine. Reoh didn't even move, adamantly staying where he was, probably just for the sake of irritating Emit more than anything else at this point. Link just watched. They would argue about even the simplest things, it seemed. Sure, Link could have died, but that wasn't really that important, was it? Okay, maybe it was. If he died, nobody would be around to save Aryll. Plus falling off stairs and dying seemed like a lousy way to die. But really, Reoh seemed to be in a crappy mood throughout the dungeon and Emit just got stiffer and stiffer—about everything. Link didn't get it. He didn't get it at all. What they were arguing about seemed to originate in something they just couldn't put aside, either something that was in their faces twenty-four-seven. And then they dealt with it in their own ways—Reoh by blowing his cool every other day and Emit by calmly, yet rigidly, insisting they do it a certain (read: Emit's) way. Emit seemed to be winning a lot more than Reoh, and that just served to increase the tension, because it seemed that most of the tension originated from Reoh not liking Emit doing things his way. They'd never get along, it seemed, and that could prove to be a nuisance.

Of course, there was the question of how they'd cooperate in dangerous situations. If they couldn't put aside whatever it was even then, then that was a definite deal breaker. And even if they did cooperate in dire situations, a third ending would still have to be reached—which wasn't something that Link had anticipated when he'd started. Either way, he lost. Push-ups for him. Darn.

So Link reached down and tried to grab Reoh's hand, which had been lying lifelessly on the ground like a dead fish, but he snatched his hand away as if burned when Link touched it. Link pouted. "You know, Emit's right. We got all the way here, we really shouldn't talking like this. We should be over there trying to help Valoo." He pointed towards the silent shrine entrance, already wanting to look around the corner of the wall. There was only a stone wall separating Link from seeing a real-life _dragon_, and when Link put it that way, this was totally awesome, strange Emit and Reoh behavior or not. "So let's go."

Reoh sat up and glowered in the direction of the shrine gate, muttering, "I don't know how you dragged us out here. It's kind of pointless going in there. Do you know how to speak dragon, kid?"

"No. But we can try!" Link reached for Reoh's sleeve and he squirmed away again. "Stop doing that!"

Emit crossed his arms and tilted his head at Link, as if saying, _That's how he is, isn't it immature?_

Link had never known someone who didn't want to be touched as badly as Reoh, and Link would wager ever Rupee he'd ever owned and ever would own (which, at this rate, would amount to a grand total of not much) that he'd probably never meet someone like him again. But then again, who knew? He was only going by life as he'd known it on Outset. And life as he knew it on Outset consisted of _everyone_ giving hugs. People held hands, too. Link and Aryll held hands all the time, as well as with Joel and Zill. Link snatched for Reoh's hand again, but he pulled it away just in time. Reoh muttered something again and scooted further away, trying to get to his feet, but Link kept trying to grab his hand, becoming increasingly obsessed with this game, and Reoh kept avoiding one way or another but therefore failing in his attempts to stand up. Emit stared at them for a while, then looked at the night sky, exasperatedly plucking at his mask.

"I'm going—stoppit! I'm up! I'm going to the shrine!" Reoh snapped as Link took another swipe at his hand. "Seriously! And you too!" Now he was glaring down at his feet, and Link realized that there were wheezing noises coming from below that sounded like Midna was laughing, but it sounded more like she was having an asthma attack. "It's not funny—stop _doing_ that!" he repeated, avoiding Link's latest attempt yet again.

"But I wanna hold you haaaaand…" whined Link.

"No! I—"

Emit's hand landed firmly on Link's head, and both of them jumped like children caught with their hand in the cookie jar. While Reoh turned away with a huff, Link looked up guiltily at Emit's stern gaze. "I think we both need to get back on task," Emit said, not unkindly. Actually, Link thought he saw something of a smile in his eyes, reminiscent of the Emit who'd tripped him back on the pirate ship, but then the moment passed and Emit continued on as…well, not as _normal_, but as the oddly stiff person whose familiarity Link was seriously beginning to question. "We actually only have until morning, at which time we'll need to get back in that room. It is probably preferred that we finish this before we are placed back under surveillance."

"Uhh…yeah. Let's do tha—hey!"

Carefully, Emit guided Link through the shrine gate, so the dragon was now visible. While Link's jaw dropped at the sight of a real live _dragon_, Emit simply said, "Before any more distractions occur"—he gave Reoh a discreet (just not discreet _enough_ to be unnoticed) glare—"we should talk to this dragon you've so wanted to meet. Because that _is_ why you're here, isn't it?"

Link got the feeling that meeting the dragon may be why _he_ was up here, but it wasn't the reason why Emit, or Reoh, for that matter, were here. Unfortunately, his brain wasn't processing anything anymore other than the dragon. Because it _was a_ _dragon_. His face probably looked like those bug-eyed crabs that never _ever_ blink, but he didn't care. It was big and red and big and majestic and big and wise-looking and _big_. Link couldn't see its tail, but he could certainly see its wings folded behind it. Framed by clear black skies, its yellow eyes felt imposing to the point of intimidation, and those eyes were staring right at Link. Oh _shoot_. Orca and Sturgeon had told him about dragons, and how awesome they were, despite them being on the verge of extinction—Orca had said there were only three when he'd been adventuring, which had been over thirty years ago. But what they'd never failed to tell him was that the full weight of the dragon's aura would never be truly felt unless it was in person. Link understood that now.

Swallowing a little thickly, Link turned to Reoh for help, but all he did was shrug in that nonchalant way he always did. This was neither encouraging nor helpful. Emit just gestured, as if to say, "Go on." This was, however encouraging, still no help. Link was both envious and confused by their relaxed attitudes.

"H-Hello…?" Link bobbed nervously in place, rocking back and forth on his heels, eyes fixed off to his left in uncertainty. "I… Um… My name is Link…" But that was all he got out before he ran out of things to say, inducing panic. It was like the Wind Waker all over again: without knowing exactly what to do as a reassurance, he was left to drown in his own uncertainty.

Valoo's yellow eyes blinked at him, betraying no expression other than grim determination, before opening his mouth and in his deep, hoarse voice saying…something. With a start, Link realized he couldn't understand him. But what had he been expecting? Medli had mentioned that Valoo spoke a different language. Reoh had been right; they weren't able to talk to Valoo anyway. It was bitterly disappointing…but on the other hand, Link had gotten or was in the process of getting everything else he'd been striving for.

"Well, I guess that sucks… " Scratching the back of his head, yet keeping a careful eye on the dragon, in case Link accidentally ticked it off, Link turned to Emit and Reoh, still feeling let down despite the success of everything else. "We came all this way and we can't even understand what he's saying."

Reoh looked blankly at Link. Link was once again reminded of those crabs, except it was creepier actually seeing someone with that expression, especially Reoh at nighttime. His eyes kind of glowed in the dark, and the off-white mask that obscured his face gave the effect of having no facial features except those eyes. Geez Louise, sometimes Link didn't know why he'd ever let these guys follow him in the first place.

"What'reya looking at me like that for?" Link tilted his head, throwing Reoh an inquiring—and he tried hard not to make it suspicious, but it might not have worked—gaze.

"What am _I_ looking at you for?" With two eyebrows raised bemusedly, Reoh shot back, "What're _you_ talking about?"

—

Komali didn't know what Medli was thinking anymore. This was suicidal.

So far, they'd wandered through the mountain, encountering several roaming monsters they'd avoided with trembling stares and gasps of shock. Medli even screamed once when a she saw a Bokoblin jump at them wielding a large knife, and Komali didn't even know if he screamed. He probably did. But they generally made it through without too many problems, since they always ran at the sight of monsters and it wasn't terribly hard to avoid them. They were pretty slow. Yet, being able to escape didn't mean that this wasn't disastrous. Monsters were things that Komali had only ever heard about, and most people never even encountered them in their lifetime. To see even one was amazing; to see dozens of them all at once in a concentrated area like this was downright disturbing.

It turned out that monsters were the least of Komali's problems. They _had_ been following the path to the Great Valoo initially, but then they saw that the stairs had vanished—causing Komali's spine to run cold and something heavy drop into his stomach. Without the stairs, the only way up, he'd never get his wings.

He refrained from leaving the mountain right then and there; Medli was still here on this suicide mission and he couldn't leave her. He couldn't run out on her here. That resolve was tested, though, when Medli's eyes landed on the door with the lock shaped like an eye. Komali could see something of a crazy glint in her eye, and he knew she wanted to open that door. She'd lost it, Komali thought. She'd gone insane. She was tired and trembling and pushing herself even now. She should be _resting—_she'd just nearly drowned. And she _still_ wanted to unlock ominous doors. The Medli Komali knew wasn't like this at all; Medli was usually a quiet and nice Rito, always smiling, always polite. And now she was just bonkers. Off her rocker. Lost her marbles. With a lopsided beak. Nutty as a fruitcake. Out to lunch. Missing a few flight feathers. Ditzy. Batty. Lolo. Whatever.

So they'd been wandering for so long, looking for whatever in the world Medli was looking for. Komali didn't know, because she wouldn't tell him. And that just made him even more nervous. Was it possible for nearly drowning to cause brain damage?

At least she wasn't stupid enough to try flying. There were certain gaps where a weak Rito like Medli couldn't cross, due to either fierce winds or some other conditions. And therefore Komali and Medli's grappling hook came into handy here—surprising him, because ever since the incident with Valoo, he'd regarded the equipment as a mark of shame, a horrible artifact that he was forced to carry to indicate how badly he'd failed. He hadn't thought he'd ever be able to put it to good use. But hey, maybe the usefulness of the grappling hook might mark a new change, heralding, perhaps, Komali finally getting a grip and being useful? Some sort of symbolic foreshadowing?

Or maybe, Komali thought with a snort, this was symbolically foreshadowing the Chieftain rubbing off on him with his empty words and meaningless sayings. The Chieftain was rather fond of symbolisms.

But not even the disturbing changes in Medli could detract from the fact that this was probably one of the scariest things that Komali had ever faced. It ashamed Komali to think that he was more concerned about his own welfare than the peculiar behavior of his only friend, but in order to be completely honest, he had to admit the monsters and the lava and the ridiculous height they were at made Komali want to run back to his room and take his pearl and hug it. But he didn't, and, as the chieftain probably would have said, "the difference between those thoughts and your actions is where your strength lies." But it was all hot air, of course. It's not like the chieftain actually meant any of that.

Then there was the room with nothing in it but a ring of fire, in which a bizarrely elaborate chest sat, and a large portion of land with a bit of lava around the edges. It didn't actually have heights or (visible) monsters or anything much, actually, but the chest… The chest scared Komali in the fact that this room seemed too innocent. Sweating with nervousness, the heat, and fear, Komali told Medli to turn back. This room had nothing in it anyway. Right? Of course, Komali didn't believe that it was truly empty for a second, but he'd do what it took to get their tails out of there.

But she wanted to open the chest. It was, admittedly, rather suspicious with its gold trim and green velvet that never singed despite being surrounded by fire. Medli was intrigued by it. Komali was scared by it. Besides, Komali was much more concerned with monsters and their suspicious absence. This was a small, enclosed room, and the more Komali thought about it, the more he was convinced it couldn't be _completely_ hazard-free. Not with what he'd seen throughout the cavern. The cavern had changed, and it had changed for the worse. This room _had_ to be rigged.

It turned out that Komali was dead right. Medli crossed to the other side of the room and stepped on the switch, and the fire died. When she stepped off, the fire roared up again. Just as she told Komali to open the chest for her while she stood on the switch, a centipede—the one with the pincers and single blue eye and was three times longer than Komali and was _on_ _fire_—snaked its way up and out of the lava, its body hypnotic as it wiggled to and fro. Komali shrieked and literally dragged Medli back to the door, only for her to step on his foot to make him let go. It hurt, too. A lot.

She raced to the switch, beckoning him to follow. His legs creaked as he dashed after her, as if his very bones and joints were protesting what he was doing, and when his feet hit the ground he wobbled. When the fire died, he cast one last terrified glance at the approaching centipede, threw the chest open, snatched whatever was in it, and raced for the door. Medli followed, skirting the massive centipede, horrified revulsion plain on her face. Komali's face was probably the same.

Safely out side the room, Komali handed what had been in the chest over to Medli, for the first time noticing what he held in his hand. It was a key, Komali realized, an abnormally large, heavy key with a red eye engraved on it, two horns protruding from the top, and made completely of what seemed like gold. It looked like an ominous key, a key that wouldn't open anything good, and Komali wanted to snatch it back from Medli, throw it in the lava, and take her back home where things were normal. He even wanted Din's Pearl back for a moment, before he remembered that he'd dropped it in the spring. He really had to stop thinking about that thing.

"This…key…" said Medli slowly, turning the key over in her hands.

Komali looked at her quizzically as Medli stared a little longer at the key. When she looked up, Komali could see that crazy glint in her eye, but then Komali realized that what he'd seen wasn't "craziness." She wasn't ditzy, or batty, or bananas.

Maybe just a little more desperate and frustrated than Komali had realized.

"It looks like it will fit in that big locked door we saw earlier, doesn't it?"

–

Link looked first a the kid, then Reoh-Link, and finally the dragon. "No, I'm serious!" Kid-Link cried. "I can't understand anything he's saying!"

"But I can understand fine…" said Reoh-Link, confused.

The dragon seemed grimly amused by this. "Do _you_ know what he's talking about?" Link asked the dragon.

Kid-Link literally shrieked. Every pair of eyes turned towards the now hyperventilating kid, who gesticulated with a sort of hysterical confusion and started yelling on the top of his lungs, but speaking so quickly none of them could understand.

"_You're_ the one talking too fast to be understood. Try e…nun…ci…at…ing," Reoh-Link said, mockingly slow, as if he were talking to a particularly dim-witted person.

"Just now," Kid-Link babbled, talking too fast to be enunciating at all but slow enough to be understood, "you were speaking the same as the dragon! Absolute gibberish! It was all like yargablargashlarkamark!"

"…No, I'm pretty sure I was just speaking normally…" Puzzled, Link looked at Reoh-Link, who shrugged.

"Well _now_ you are," Kid-Link retorted. "But I swear, I _swear_ you weren't when you were looking at the dragon!"

"I don't know what you're talking about—"

Link never finished, because at that moment, the dragon stiffened, eyes wide, then his head whipped around to stare over his own shoulder. Link backed away. What was going on? The dragon's eyes narrowed as he lifted his head and roared, then thrashed his head back and forth, pounding his claws on the ground. The noise was deafening.

"Okay, _now_ what did you do?" Kid-Link shouted, terrified, shrinking away from the dragon.

"I don't know!" Reoh-Link yelled back, barely audible anyway. "He was fine three seconds ago!"

Fire started to spew from the dragon's mouth, shooting high into the night sky in massive plumes. The fire was everywhere, and Valoo's writhing was sending it dangerously close to them. Link grabbed the kid's collar and pulled him back out of the way, Reoh-Link quickly following. Kid-Link shouted as loud as his high voice would go: "Is this what Medli meant by Valoo having tantrums?"

"She said he was having tantrums?" Reoh-Link replied loudly. "I wasn't there!"

"We saw him," Link said, but it went unheard under the roars of the dragon. "When we were approaching the island. We saw and heard him yelling at the top."

Abruptly, Valoo quieted and was still. Link didn't move. It was still too early to assume the threat was gone. When the dragon spoke again, his voice was raspy and faint. "There is…a beast…" the dragon wheezed, "…below…where I sit… In a cavern below here…where my tail hangs into… It…pulls on my tail…"

"Overreaction much," Midna's voice said under her breath. "That's not _nearly_ a good enough reason to throw both a tantrum and a species into danger, O Holy Dragon of Disproportionate Wing Size. It's not even life-threatening." Link thanked Farore that Midna had enough decency to keep her voice barely audible.

"Go…quickly…" The dragon's eyes were closed, making Link wonder exactly much of an overreaction this was. "You must…destroy the beast…"

"What'd he say?" Kid-Link asked impatiently. "You guys understand, right? What'd he _say_?"

"He's sitting on a monster," Reoh-Link translated.

"He's _sitting_ on a monster? Why doesn't he just get up and move, then? And shouldn't the monster _die_ if a _dragon_ were sitting on it?" Kid-Link shook his head. "I dunno about you, but I think the logic behind that seems a little less than perfect."

"Below here," Link clarified, ignoring Reoh-Link's snickering, "there's a cavern, into which Valoo's tail hangs into. The monster's pulling on the tail.

"Overreaction much," Kid-Link mumbled. Reoh-Link broke out laughing. Link gritted his teeth. How immature could he get? Not only was this a serious issue, but also laughing now was probably insulting to the dragon.

"Okay." Link faced the dragon and nodded, trying to hide his irritation. "I…guess we'll take care of that…?" Shrugging, Link didn't really know what else to say. The dragon nodded, but it was the same kind of absent nod the drunks gave Link back at Castle Town, complete with glazed eyes and twitching expression. Link was beginning to wonder how harmless having his tail pulled on really was.

"Emit," the kid said hesitantly, "there's a slight problem with that." Reoh-Link stopped chuckling and blinked, realizing what the kid meant. The kid pointed a finger back at the gate of the shrine. "There's…kinda no stairs."

"Oh. Well. Hm." Reoh-Link crossed his arms and puckered his lips, feigning obliviousness to all weight of the situation. He even seemed to smile cheekily. "_That's_ not good."

As Link tried to formulate a way out of this, Link observed that perhaps Reoh-Link would land himself right below the Happy Mask Salesman on Link's personal list of most hated people. Funny, that. In more ways than one.

—

The door thudded shut behind them, and Medli saw Komali glance back warily. "R-Really, Medli, I-I'm serious," Komali stammered. "I don't like the looks of this room."

"You didn't like the looks of the other room and that's the room where we found the key," Medli pointed out, but her fingers were trembling too. She clenched them in an effort to still them.

"Why're you doing this?" Komali asked, voice harsh, making another twinge of guilt pass through Medli. "You won't even tell me why we're in here! Let's just go back!"

"No!" Medli was frightened by this room, too, but she tried not to let it show. She edged towards the pool of lava in the middle of the room, studying the great Valoo's tail, which hung from the ceiling. Did this have something to do with the tail? It looked battered and bruised...and as she peered closer...the tail was dripping blood. Multiple gashes in the tail that ran deep, deep enough to show stained blood in some parts, were latticed over the red hide. She gasped quietly, covering her mouth with her hands. What in the name of the sky was going on?

"Please, Medli—"

"I-I'm not going back!" she said quickly, focus slipping.

Komali's voice raised as he demanded, "Why not?"

"Because I said so," Medli snapped, her attention distracted again from the tail.

"That's not good enough!" Komali pressed. "Why _not_?"

"You want to know why so badly?" Medli whipped around to face him, her back now towards the lava pool, the tail completely forgotten. Everything just began to collide, combine, and overflow—all the fear, the frustration, the desperation, the helplessness reacted together. "Because," Medli shouted, "I've failed as Valoo's attendant and I failed you and I failed again just now! What I _can_ do to change the world I can't do right! I can't make a single difference in the world! The only thing I can do is play my harp and that doesn't do _anything_! It doesn't help Lord Valoo, it doesn't help you!" Emotion clogged her throat and her eyes burned with unshed tears, and Komali backed away, alarmed and afraid of her sudden outburst, and Medli was almost _glad_ to see the fear in his eyes. Voice raw, she cried, "I—I can't _stand_ it!"

And that was when the ground began to shake.

Medli screamed, spinning around again as the lava boiled, glowing white and yellow as the slightly dried crust over the magma disappeared under the fresher liquid underneath. She scuttled away, pressing herself up against the wall alongside Komali. "What's happening?" Komali yelled, even though she was right beside him. She shook her head frantically; she didn't know either.

The lava exploded, and _something_ burst from it. The colossal centipede, dripping lava from its shell, turned around slowly to face them with its single blue eye. It roared, gushing fire from its mouth, and Medli couldn't remember if she shrieked or not, although she probably did. When the _thing_ slammed its huge pincers into the ground, they stumbled and fell. "We have to get out!" Medli cried. From Komali's face, he agreed completely.

They scrambled for the door and slammed their hands against it—but it didn't open. Eyes wide, Medli pounded her fists against it, but still nothing. They were trapped inside with a vicious, gargantuan monster and there was _no way out_. "Please… No, no, no!" Medli whispered, then screamed, "OPEN!"

"_Run_!" Komali pushed her to get her running, and they ran together as an immense pincer streaked through the air towards them. Throwing themselves forwards as it hit the ground, they barely avoided it. As soon as she could, Medli was up and running once again, dragging Komali behind, her body shaking so badly she could barely run straight. Another pincer dug itself into the ground behind them, and they stumbled as the ground shook but continued sprinting for their lives. Pincer after pincer slammed down, and Medli strangled Komali's hand with her own as she screamed herself hoarse. Adrenaline kept them running fast enough; Medli had no doubt that they'd be in pieces if not for the terror that kept them running.

Medli could see the door approaching up ahead. They'd made a full circle around the perimeter of the room, Medli realized. They'd just keep running around the edge of this room like rats until they grew tired and the monster caught them. She glanced to her side and saw Komali, his eyes terrified. She didn't want to die, not here, not now, and she definitely didn't want Komali to die.

She no longer stumbled when the pincers hit the ground, so when the attack came, she somehow brought herself to let go of Komali's hand, which took a surprisingly large amount of willpower to do, despite the simplicity of the action. Stumbling to the door instead of continuing past it, Medli glanced wildly back, watching Komali sprinting past her, yelling "What're you _doing_?" and the monster roaring that hideous screech. Sucking in a breath, Medli screamed, "Help! We're trapped! Anyone! _Help_!"

No reply came, just like she'd expected, but a feeling of despair still washed over her. Biting her lip, she sprinted after Komali to continue the circuit. Medli was tiring by the time she got around to the door the second time, and by the fourth, she was breathing heavily, sweating in the heat of the room. But each time she stopped at the door and yelled for help. Komali almost appeared to have given up, and was just running because it was what you did when there was a colossal monster breathing down your neck. Both of them could see that while they stayed out of the monster's reach, they couldn't for long. They would get caught eventually, and overwhelming desperation was setting in. It was all useless, avoiding the monster's attacks. Nobody was coming, they couldn't beat it, they were trapped and dead. All those things they hadn't accomplished when they had the chance. They'd die, for sure, probably Komali first because he was even more unaccustomed to physical work. Dying was just a matter of _when_.

And as she approached the door for the sixth time, _when_ came much faster than Medli had anticipated.

All Medli knew was that she was at the door for the sixth time, and as she pleaded for help once more, she saw out of the corner or her eye the monster rearing back another attack, but not at Medli. At Komali. He was a clear thirty feet away, having fallen so far behind. She didn't even think about moving, so mesmerized by the sight, when the pincer came down, somehow slowly and all too fast at the same time. Komali saw it clearly, his face tilted straight up towards the pincer, and instead of putting on another burst of speed to avoid, his legs seemed to decelerate. For a whole second, he almost looked like he had resigned himself to the end. But at the very last second, he launched himself forward with one last spurt of desperation, and the pincer met the ground.

And yet, despite Komali's last attempt, his legs disappeared under the black pincer as it thudded to the floor.

Medli screamed, her cry intermingling with Komali's as he squirmed weakly. The pincer lifted, and Medli took her chances with meeting the same fate as Komali and scrambled towards him, falling on her knees beside him. Voice cracking, Medli moaned, "Don't die! Komali, you _can't_ die! Please, _please_ don't die—" and she broke away as her eyes fell on his legs. Right below the knee, they had been broken straight across. It was like he had two sets of knees, one right below the other. She choked on something wet in her throat, whispering, "K…Komali?"

Komali didn't even reply, and Medli realized that he'd fainted, probably from shock more than anything. The monster prepared another attack, so Medli threw her arms around Komali and flung herself and Komali out of the way when it came. Bile rose in her throat as Komali's legs let out a crunching noise and bent all the wrong ways. She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and dragged him to the door, stumbling beneath his weight, almost crying. Back at the door, she choked as she pounded on the door with one hand, efforts almost half-hearted. "A-Anyone!" Her voice sounded so pathetic and lost, she wanted to smack herself. "Please! We're in here!"

No answer.

"Please! Somebody! We need help!"

No answer. The monster was turning to face them again, its eye locked on her. Medli's eyes darted to Komali, unconscious on the ground. There was no way she'd be able to dodge with Komali in two. She was helpless—and _goddessdamnit!_ Why? Nobody should ever have to feel so trapped, so helpless! Frustration morphed into anger, bitter fury at the unfairness of it all. Why, why, why? Tears spilled out of the corners of her eyes. Was she…really going to die…?

"_HELP_!" she screamed.

"H-Hello?"

Medli gasped. A voice? Medli pressed her ear to the ground, straining for it. It was still far away, but she was sure she'd heard it.

"Medli? Is that you?"

The voice sounded closer this time.

"We're here!" Medli shrieked, relief making her smile through her tears. "_We're in here_!"

The voice was right up against the door:

"Medli?"

And then Medli realized that she knew that voice.

"…Link?"


	35. Influence Race

_A/N: With the annual torture having rolled around again, I have realized that this fic has been up for more than a year. (Remind me: why I am still writing this?) So hey, I figured it's a good time for change, right? My penname got old almost as soon as I made it._

_LittleBlueNayru suggested that I set up a poll to see which Link is the favorite based on the personalities and/or actions in FatW. Unfortunately, if I set up the poll now, I'm worried that the results would be skewed one way or another. And that's not what I want. Hence, I think I'll probably wait until another arc for that. Sorry, Blue. Maybe the next one. If, of course, anybody would participate in it to begin with._

_But other than me saying that and basically forewarning you of such a potential poll, I have nothing really to say about this chapter other than one, I do believe I fail at writing short chapters, and two, where the hell did my prose go?_

_Read, review, and criticize, please.

* * *

_

Quill paced the room, mulling it all over, while Link sat quietly in the corner of the room. The three torches positioned on the sides of the musty, cramped room made his downcast slouch and sleep-deprived eyes even darker. "This," Quill said softly, "is a very serious accusation. Are you sure?"

Link looked shifty as hell, but who wouldn't under these circumstances? This was a dangerous situation, and while telling Quill was the right thing to do, it was most certainly a nerve-wracking one. Link fidgeted again in his chair and mumbled, "I haven't actually _said_ anything, Mr. Quill. I've simply given you facts and you yourself have drawn the your own conclusion."

True. A sense of awe, wonder, and sickening dread always accompanied a discovery of horrible news, and now was no different. "Stay here," Quill told Link, then walked briskly out the door. Quickly scanning the interior of the Rito Hall, he flagged down the highest-ranking police he could see, one that had actually had executive power. There actually weren't that many—most of them were in the medic room for obvious reasons, although Quill assumed they'd all be thrown out by a certain Rito with absolute executive power eventually. The officer Quill managed to get his hands on turned out to be Hoskit, who was somewhere a few levels down, and when Hoskit had flown up to where Quill was, Quill dragged him inside the room and shut the door behind them.

"Ah, Link! There you are!" Hoskit exclaimed when he caught sight of Link. Seeing Link's slumped frame and rather depressed stare, Hoskit mumbled, "Hell of a night, eh?"

Link merely shrugged. Quill noticed his hand shaking before it latched itself tightly to his chair.

Quill drew up two chairs and motioned for Hoskit to sit in one, which Hoskit did, but Quill himself did not take the other. Hoskit remarked, "Shouldn't you be in the medic room, too? You look pretty…ah…busted up."

"I guess," Link replied, "but I figured I should wash first." He gestured at his own tunic, and Hoskit hesitated before visibly deciding to not answer. Link's teeth showed in a wistful grin. "Besides, I'm not badly hurt."

I beg to differ, Quill thought. First there was a massive black eye on Link's face. Then there was the nasty scrape on his cheek—a red, almost raw burn that glared angrily at Quill. There were scratches _everywhere_, competing for space on his face, arms, chest, even his legs. All of them had long since ceased to bleed, but the pencil-thin streaks still made Quill inwardly wince. There were burns marks dotting only his tunic, but his skin as well. His boots were inky black on the soles, while the scuffed sides had similar markings to an old pot that had been set over a fire for too long.

"Busted up" didn't even come close.

But the thing that stood out the most, the thing that Hoskit had shied away from, was Link's tunic. What had once been a slightly dirty but undeniably green tunic was now absolutely filthy. It looked more grey with a faint green undertone, whatwith the uneven, blotchy coating of ash all over it. And what part that weren't grey and sooty were covered in red spray marks. Crimson dots scattered all over his tunic. They dyed Link's tunic in exotic stained patterns, creating strange shapes and stranger thoughts. Quill had asked if it was blood, to which Link replied it wasn't a _human's_ blood. Quill had to think about that one for a full ten seconds before deciding he wouldn't ask what Link meant by that.

"And I'd prefer to not be in the medic room right now," Link added, almost as an afterthought. "The wind shrine was much less…suffocating." Suddenly his eyes lit up and he exclaimed, "Mr. Quill! Didja know that when I was at the wind shrine, I made the wind blow south?"

Quill looked at Hoskit, whose eyebrows had shot up, before answering that one. "You made the wind blow south," Quill repeated, tone similar to a parent humoring his child.

"Yeah! It was _fantastic_!" His excited expression dimmed as he said, "Well, actually, I don't really know how I did it… It was kind of an accident, really. I was freaking out and all of a sudden, it just…blew south. I don't know if I could do it again. I tried some more after that, but the wind wouldn't listen."

"Really?" Hoskit twisted around in his chair and raised an eyebrow, mouthing the words, "Is he brain damaged?" It did happen, and it was a perfectly legitimate question to ask in an interrogation. In response, Quill shook his head, not saying that Link wasn't but that they shouldn't concern themselves with that right now, and Hoskit dropped it. "You know what, Link? How about we just get to the point?" Hoskit smirked and added, "My girlfriend always says I need to talk less."

Link smiled, his grin childishly bright even if uncertain, appreciating the attempt at levity. "Right… Well…you know that we all went up the mountain together, right?"

Hoskit glanced at Quill, wondering where this was going, and replied, "Yeah, I know. The higher-ups are having a field day with the thing. Poor Bisht… Wonder how much his pay'll get cut."

"Yeah… Um… Poor Bisht…?" Link's head dropped for a moment, biting his lip almost guiltily. Eyes darting to the left, he hastily continued, "U-Uh, so we go up to the dragon, and…er, we couldn't understand a word he said."

"That's unsurprising. And then?"

"Well, since the stairs broke…we…found this other way down…" Link's voice trailed away uncertainly at the end.

"Why's he so nervous?" Hoskit hissed to Quill over his shoulder.

"Wait for it," Quill breathed back. It did make sense. Link knew the importance of the information he was revealing and the likely consequences. It wasn't easy, but truth was truth.

Hoskit's eyes narrowed, confused, but he turned to Link and asked, "There's another way down? Never heard of one."

* * *

Link threw his hands up in the air, looking first to Emit and then to Reoh. "Alright, guys. Valoo can tell you whatever he wants, but it won't mean anything if we can't get off the mountain."

"We can't be _stuck_," Reoh insisted, walking furiously in a circle. The agitation was understandable. "There's gotta be a way down."

Emit turned to the dragon and spouted a bunch of gibberish, and when Valoo responded in the same manner, Link just gritted his teeth and waited for it to stop. Was Emit bilingual? Was Valoo from the same palce Emit was? Did Emit live in the sky, like Mako suggested? Who in the Great Sea _were_ these people? Maybe he'd just screw the rules and ask a question. It was getting hard to breathe, like his throat had constricted, a feeling similar to that when Link was about to cry. That was how badly he wanted to ask. Or maybe he was approaching this from the wrong direction. What if he asked questions that were connected to what Link was after, just not directly? Link didn't know if he could pull that off. Would it count? _You can't cheat against yourself_, Reoh had said once.

A strange thought occurred to Link then. Why was the reason he couldn't ask questions? It was because of Tetra, right? And Tetra wouldn't question him because he was her swabbie. But was Emit being Tetra's swabbie really the reason why she'd told him not to question Emit?

For a few moments, the foreign language receding to white noise in his mind, he played with the idea. He didn't know where he was going with that train of thought, but it would take him somewhere other than here, and here wasn't doing it for him.

"What'd he say?" Link demanded after Valoo stopped talking.

"If we had a grappling hook, we could swing across that"—Emit pointed at a wooden stick that jutted out of the cliff face, resting in a gap between two rocks—"and go out another way."

"So…do either of you have a grappling hook?" Link remembered them having bags similar to Link's own. Considering how little Link knew about Reoh and Emit and their (supposed) line of work, maybe, just maybe, they had a grappling hook on them…?

"No," they answered in unison.

After the initial disappointment, Link found that the uncomfortable silence after said otherwise.

"He does have _something_, though. We might be able to improvise something out of it," Emit said, nodding at Reoh, and Link felt his hope rise. "But he probably won't let us use it."

"Damn right I won't," snapped Reoh.

"Now isn't the time to be difficult," Emit shot back. "We need it. It's the only chance we have."

"I won't."

Reoh could be so childish sometimes, Link observed with a hint of impatience. Doing his best imitation of Rose when she was mad at Joel and Zill, Link rounded on Reoh and put his hands on his hips. "Why not?"

Reoh's weight shifted backwards and he blinked, as if taken aback. He didn't answer right away, but his expression slid from angry to thoughtful without his face moving all that much—his eyes were still squinted and his jaw still clenched, yet the feel wasn't half as harsh as it had been before. "I'm worried I'll break it. It's not meant for these kinds of things."

"Please?" Link begged.

Reoh glanced from Link to Emit, and his face did that strange trick again, slipping back to scowling without really changing. His hand moved faster than Link could register and he barely caught what Reoh threw at him, just as Reoh snarled at Emit, "If my Clawshot breaks, it's your fault."

"Even if he breaks it?" Emit pointed out, tilting his head at Link.

"What do you think the answer to that is?"

* * *

Link answered Hoskit with an unsteady voice. "There was a, ah, secret entrance that Valoo showed us…and we got down through that."

"Funny…" Hoskit scratched his beak. "Never heard o' that… Do you mean the grappling hook route? That one's for emergency exits, only a one-way route out."

"Uh…no. It was a very secret route that Valoo never showed anyone because it was a quick and easy shortcut," Link replied, shifting in his seat like there were bugs in his pants. "He didn't want weak-hearted Rito to get any scales…"

Quill shrugged, a quick jerk of the shoulder blades, when Hoskit shot him an incredulous look. Link was trustworthy, so Quill bought it. "Continue, Link," he said.

"So from there," Link mumbled, now barely audible, "we, er, wandered in the mountain some more because we, uh, were looking for something…?" It came out as a question, strangely.

"Looking for something? Like what?" Hoskit asked immediately.

"Oh—not looking for something!" Link cried. "We were just…wondering what was wrong with the great Valoo. We weren't looking…for anything in particular…" Link wouldn't make eye contact with them and he adjusted his hat constantly, as if searching for something to do with his hands. "Yeah… So eventually, we wound up at this big door…"

* * *

Link stopped, his finger on the trigger of the thing called the Clawshot. "Did you…hear that?"

Emit nodded. "From there," he said, and pointed at the big door with the eye on the other side of the room, separated from them with a pool of simmering lava. "I can't hear what it was, though."

Fumbling with the Clawshot, he tried not to drop it in his haste. He aimed and fired at the branch above the lava and made sure to keep his middle finger on a certain latch so it wouldn't retract, just as Reoh told him to, and swung across to the other side, stomach dancing in his gut as he forced himself to not look down at the drifting lava. When he'd safely passed over, he glanced at the Clawshot and realized that the edges of the claw had begun to chip at certain places. When Reoh passed over with his second Clawshot, he checked the claw too, and his eyes tightened, obviously displeased at the damage being done to his equipment. Reoh motioned, and Link handed him the Clawshot back, fingers locking around the Clawshot as he did, as if they didn't want to let go either.

"Can you hurry and throw it, Reoh?" Link asked hurriedly, glancing nervously at the door, wanting to hurry but not wanting to leave Emit on the other side.

"I dunno."

Link froze, disliking Reoh's tone and in the back of his mind, he knew what Reoh meant, yet a combination of confusion and reluctance to know at all formed his next words. "What? What do you mean?"

With a deliberate tone, Reoh replied, "Maybe he can just stay over there."

"What?" Link yelped. They'd gone over several other gaps using the Clawshots, and here, at the most crucial one, he refused to hand over one to Emit. His gaze whipped from Reoh to Emit and back. "No, you can't _leave_ him over there!"

"Yeah, I can," Reoh retorted calmly, but it was a vicious calm—the kind that signified he _knew_ he had the advantage and would exploit it for all it was worth. Eyes wide, horrified by what he'd accidentally caused, Link threw Emit an pained glance. Emit merely looked expressionlessly at Reoh.

"Stop joking," Link protested, getting desperate.

"Do I look like I'm joking?"

No, Reoh didn't look like he was joking.

"Please?" Link was beginning to panic. This wasn't the time for fooling around. "Please, Reoh, just throw it!"

Reoh fiddled with the Clawshot, pointedly ignoring Link.

"What do you want?" Emit demanded, and Link's head snapped towards him. "I know you want something out of this."

With one hand wrapped tightly around the Clawshots and the other hand cupping his chin, Reoh rolled his head from side to side, humming as he thought. Finally, he crossed his arms and bounced a little on the balls of his feet as his eyes crinkled at the corners, telltale signs of a smile under the mask. Link couldn't imagine it was happy kind of smile.

"I'll throw it if you say 'please'."

The perfect word to describe Emit right now was the word "scandalized." From what Link could see of his expression, even from a good thirty yards away, it looked like Emit would much rather walk through the lava to the other side himself than say "please" to Reoh. Navi zipped straight to Emit's shoulder and was frantically whispering something in his ear when Emit shook his head, a quick, irritable jerk that told Navi she wasn't helping. She darted away as if burned. Link understood. When Emit was mad, Link could swear his heart was having trouble beating. That's what happened when people who didn't lose their cool more than once a decade actually _did_ lose their cool.

Reoh tossed the Clawshot up and down in his hand, watching Emit, seeming more fascinated with the scenario he'd constructed than entertained. Link himself was frozen, unsure what he wanted to happen. He wanted Reoh to stop this point-blank. He wanted to rip that Clawshot out of Reoh's hand and throw it over there himself. He even traced the path the Clawshot took through the air, up and down, up and down, as if he were timing the right moment to snatch it. He could have tackled Reoh, if pushed to extremes. He wouldn't be able to win in a fistfight with Reoh, but he'd at least be able to get the Clawshot. He probably could have, considering he'd have the element of surprise. At the very least, he should have tried.

But because of his mind blanking out, or perhaps…or perhaps because he didn't want to help Emit at all…he didn't.

For a long moment, Emit just glowered at Reoh, standing absolutely still, silently weighing his own pride and the necessity of getting to the other side, while Reoh feigned growing boredom and began to examine the ceiling with mock interest. Very slowly, Emit's ears darkened and his gaze darted away in what appeared to be disgust.

"…_Please_."

The phrase "I'd watch my back at night if I were you" was probably more suitable for the tone Emit used, but Reoh simply laughed, kept his end of the bargain, and threw the Clawshot. Reoh stalked away reproachfully, hissing words under his breath, leaving Link to apologize profusely to Emit in Reoh's stead.

Afterwards, Link would think back to what Reoh had whispered so venomously and wonder what a Darmani was.

* * *

"So this big door was where…?" Hoskit trailed his guess away.

Link nodded a little, eyes still downcast. "Yeah…we found Medli and Komali behind that door."

When Link opened the door, Medli stumbled through, but she was absolute mess. Tears were streaming down her cheeks, her hair disheveled, and her dress was dirty. "Link," she half-screamed, "a monster—!"

Aforementioned monster chose that moment to roar, which made Link screech and clap his hands over his sensitive ears, look through the door and do a double-take. It was like the centipedes they'd seen throughout the cavern, but a hundred times bigger and a thousand times angrier. Bigger body, bigger pincers, bigger claws, bigger armor, bigger eye, bigger _mouth_… Things like this just weren't even imagined on Outset. Yet here it was, right in front of his eyes.

While Link was busy being petrified at the sight of the colossal _thing_, Medli desperately dragged something Link couldn't see through the door, aided by Emit. "Medli, what are you doing in here?" Link demanded, angry that she'd just thwarted a huge reason why he was up here to begin with. He moved to help, only to stop dead as he saw what she was dragging. "Medli, what is _Komali_ doing in here?"

"Long story," she gasped, wiping matted hair out of her eyes.

Something horrible flashed through Link's mind, something that Link normally thought would have been impossible to happen to somebody he actually knew but didn't seem to be such a far-off concept anymore, not after the Bokoblin on the bridge, and Link couldn't help but gasp. "Is he…" Link inched closer to Medli, but couldn't bring himself to grab Komali and help pull him through the door, so he simply stood, fumbling with thoughts.

"Unconscious," she replied. She was clearly weary of talking already.

Not dead, then. Link could have laughed, he was so relieved, and Link thought that maybe he did, he just didn't realize it.

Emit picked Komali up, which was much easier than dragging, just as Reoh took one last glance at the monster, rolled his eyes, and shut the door behind Emit. The monster's roars fell silent with unnerving abruptness. As Emit set Komali down to the side of the big door, Medli wrapped her arms around Komali's neck and squeezed her eyes shut. "First of all," Link asked, "why is he unconscious?"

Emit pointed wordlessly at Komali's legs, and at first, Link didn't see anything due to Komali's pants, which Link saw with dread were spotted with red dots, but then he realized that right below the knee the legs had been broken. In fact, the pant leg even poked up like a tent in one place, and Link saw a sliver of dirty bone poking out of Komali's leg. Link's eyes went wide and he fumbled for words, but came up dry, and eventually settled for just gaping at Komali's broken legs. Emit, on the other hand, was already examining the damage, eyes narrowed.

"The monster…did that…?" Link whispered.

Emit replied, "Yes."

"Will he die?"

"No."

"Will he be alright?"

The lack of response—either because Emit didn't know or because he knew and didn't like what he knew—didn't bode well.

* * *

"This is the interesting part," Quill said to Hoskit in a low voice. Then, addressing Link, he asked, "And what was the young prince's condition when you first met him?"

Link squirmed even more in his chair. He was a ball of nerves, shifty and nervous constantly. His eyes were everywhere—the walls, the floor, the ceiling—and Quill thought he saw beads of sweat on Link's face. When Link refused to so much as register Quill's question in favor of squirming for far too long, Hoskit leaned forward. "Hey, Link?"

"…He was fine, Mr. Quill. When I first met Komali in the big room under Valoo, his legs were not broken."

* * *

"Miss, I need you to go back," Reoh instructed. "You need to get out of here and get…whoever he is…help." Reoh waved a hand dismissively, and Link remembered that Reoh didn't even know Komali's name, let alone that he was the prince. "Get both of you to safety."

Medli shook her head, and what frayed hair that wasn't stuck to her clammy face swayed crazily. She looked like a madwoman, Link thought. "I can't," Medli said. "I…I can't get through this dungeon holding him."

Reoh paused. It wasn't possible to get through the cavern holding dead weight, especially for the exhausted Medli. Emit cut in with, "Then stay out here and out of trouble. Don't enter the room. Just stay here. Watch over him. We'll come out soon when we're done, and we'll help you get out."

"What if one of you go with Medli and Komali?" Link argued. "To help her." Link himself was somewhat loathe to leave; it felt too much like quitting.

Emit's incredulous eyes were just glints on his shadowed face. "That monster needs to be stopped now, and you're the only one in the current position to do anything. Are you going to take the monster down alone?" Just as Link was about to retort that he was a cold-hearted jerk, Emit touched Komali's pants gently and said, "I'll try to do something for him. Until we can get him proper help."

Still largely unsatisfied, Link turned to Reoh for back-up, but Reoh's gaze slipped downward, surly at having to agree with Emit. "He won't not go in there with you, and I'm sure as hell not letting you go in there with him alone," Reoh breathed to Link, eyes darting meaningfully to Emit, who was whipping out bandages. "I'm not losing the influence race."

Admittedly, this irritated Link. Influence race, was it? What was that supposed to mean? Link shot a meaningful look at Reoh, who ignored it. The sense of urgency invading everything was squashing Link's idea of asking exactly what that meant, so Link found himself meeting Medli's eyes and holding his hands out helplessly instead. "Should we just leave the monster for now and come back? I'll go with you, since they won't."

She was still latched around Komali's neck, but Medli nodded, face tired and anxious. "I'll just wait, Link. The great Valoo is priority here. Don't…don't worry."

She seemed to have aged years in the last night—her face was drawn, her shoulders hunched, arms trembling as she hovered protectively over Komali's form. Link did his best to smile, trying to lift Medli's spirits, but hoped at the same time his smile appeared genuine enough to fool her. "Okay! We'll stop the beast from hurting Valoo, Medli!"

"Link…" Medli let go of Komali's neck and carefully reached into Komali's sleeve. She withdrew a coil of rope with a claw at the end, reminding Link of Reoh's Clawshot. "Here. This is the grappling hook." She took Link's hand and pressed the grappling hook into his hand. "Take it with you."

"This is Komali's!" Link protested. "I can't just take it—"

"As a thank-you present."

"No!"

"Then as a promise," insisted Medli. "You have to promise to not die."

"I…" Trailing away, Link turned over the grappling hook in his hands, surprised at how smooth the rope was. It had been clearly sanded down from years of use, and Link felt like an unwelcome presence, as if he could feel that the grappling hook belonged to someone else. He didn't want this as a gift. But as a promise? Promises were different from gifts. Gifts would always belong to one person, but promises would always be shared.

"…Okay," Link said quietly. "I won't die."

With a feel of urgency, Reoh motioned for Link to follow him. "Hurry up," he chided. "The sooner we kill it, the sooner Valoo's happy and his legs are seen to." Scrambling to his feet, Link cast one last glance at Medli before hurriedly running up the stairs to join Emit and Reoh at the door. He could hear the monster ever-so faintly, and with a suddenly rush of fear, he inched closer to Reoh, seeking security. He knew what was beyond that door, and while knowing what was behind the door was better than not knowing anything at all, knowing something horrible was behind it wasn't all that much better.

"Good luck, Link!" Medli called after them as the door opened. "I believe in you!"

Link wasn't really sure that he liked that, but then the door shut and he was trapped in a room with Emit, Reoh, a promise to come out alive, and a huge centipede that wanted to make sure he didn't.

* * *

"He was fine? Really? I kinda assumed the beastie did that." Hoskit leaned back in his chair, surprised. "_Well_, ain't that something?"

Link nodded, his nervousness bordering on fear at this point. "T-Then we…went into, er, the big room with the monster…"

"We?" Quill knew the answer to this, because Link had already told him, but Quill wanted Hoskit to hear it from Link himself. "When you say we, who are you referring to?"

Link's eyes met Quill's and slid away. "Me and…Reoh."

Hoskit was thinking the same thing Quill was, but Link didn't elaborate. They waited for Link to continue, but he only looked down, mouth shut, so Hoskit said, "You said yourself and Reoh." Link glanced up again, but waited for Hoskit to pop the actual question. "What about Emit?"

"Emit…" Sucking in a rattling breath, Link gaze dropped again. "Emit…stayed outside with Medli and Komali."

* * *

How had it come to this moment? In a flash of disbelief, Link couldn't comprehend how his life had turned upside so fast. Standing on a circle of land surrounding a pit of lava inhabited with a towering centipede that was glaring viciously at them with clear intent to kill was not something he'd ever expected to see in his life. Outset was a fishing village. The most dangerous thing that could happen to him was a crab.

Ironically, the monster here kind of counted as a crab. It was just a million times bigger than it should have.

Link had no idea what he was supposed to be doing, and the monster's constant screaming and flailing claws weren't helping. Emit looked like he knew what he was doing, evaluating the monster from multiple angles, sharp blue eyes taking in every detail. Meanwhile, Reoh was out jumping and hollering and waving his arms somewhere to the side, trying to catch the monster's attention, but to no avail; it seemed that this monster couldn't see Reoh either. Reoh was getting farther and farther away, and Link guessed that soon he'd be on the other side of the circle. _Don't go!_ Link wanted to yell. _Don't leave me over here with Emit! _

He almost ran after Reoh, but the monster chose that moment to screech, swinging its pincer down towards them. And all Link could do was stare. Jaw slack, Link wasn't even thinking about dodging. Actually, he wasn't thinking about anything. He didn't think about how if he didn't dodge, he'd die, and if he died, Aryll would never be rescued. All he knew was this massive claw was coming towards him. His brain didn't even consider the option of _doing_ something about it.

Then the next thing Link registered was a dull thud against his right, and a gritty surface scraping his elbow, and his head knocking against the hot ground. Gasping and attempting to spit out the ash in his mouth, Link shoved himself to a sitting position and rubbed his head, spinning around to see the monster's pincer deeply embedded in the ground where he'd been standing. The great beast was straining, letting out high wheezing noises as it tried desperately to free its pincer. With dazed thoughts, Link couldn't help but think: What had he been doing? Why hadn't he dodged? Was he stupid? Did he have a death wish? How stupid did you have to be to _not_ dodge when a colossal beast is trying to spit you like a pig on a stick?

"Sorry I had to shove you," came a voice—Emit's voice. Before Link's head could turn towards him, Emit picked Link up by the arms and set him on his feet, and despite this, Link still wobbled on his feet for a moment. "I had to get you out of the way."

"I'm sorry," Link whispered. He felt like he was getting his butt handed to him by Orca again, and Link had always resented that particular feeling.

Emit didn't really reply to that, only started jogging to the right with a gesture for Link to follow, going around the perimeter of the room as Navi trailed behind him and eyeing the monster as he went. As Link scrambled after him, Link heard a crunching noise, and he glanced back to see the pincer lift free, pebbles skittering off it to bounce on the ground. The eyeball darted left and right in its socket, but didn't see Link. Angry at losing sight of its prey, it threw its claws down again in an oversized tantrum, and Link could swear he felt the ground shake. Link ran faster.

Hoping that the monster wouldn't spot him too soon, Link tried to think on his own through the haze of adrenaline. Any sort of attack would be stopped by the thick armor. But was he going to kill it at all? Could he just…knock it out or something…? Get out of this without killing it? No, probably not, Link realized. The monster was pulling on Valoo's tail, and when it re-awoke after being knocked out—not that Link had the faintest clue _how_ he'd do such a preposterous thing in the first place—it would resume pulling on the dragon's tail.

The monster caught sight of him, and Link wanted to curse at it. It was all Link could do to put on one extra burst of speed to get out of the way. He didn't dare turn his head to see how close he'd been, feeling the shrapnel hit the backs of his legs, and concentrated closing the distance between him and Emit's back.

Link realized that he still hadn't seen the dragon's tail and glanced around, then spotted the thick, red tail hanging from the ceiling. It was bent at weird places, and looked kind of lumpy, but only because of huge pincer-like imprints left in it. There were several long gashes, and thin lines of blood dripping down went almost unnoticed against the red tail. Near the hole where it entered the ceiling of the cavern, it looked stretched and was a horrible shade of unnatural purple. Pulling, Link realized, had been a massive understatement. No wonder Valoo was in terrible pain.

What struck Link as odd was the end of the dragon's tail. It looked like some sort of hook… Actually, more like three hooks stuck together. What kind of tail was that?

The pincer lashed out again, and Link suddenly felt like his limbs were thicker, heavier. Run! Link's mind screamed at him. Run! The image of the bone sticking out of Komali's knee like a strange horn was all Link could see before his shirt was seized, pulling him forward, just enough to stay in one piece. Emit pulled Link to his feet and was dashing out of the monster's line of sight before Link was even properly balanced, Emit's hand wrapped tightly around Link's sleeve to keep him in tow. The pincer didn't stay stuck as long as before, possibly because the monster wriggled and heaved with much more gusto this time, but once again, the monster had lost sight of them.

Abruptly, Navi said, "Much like the first Gohma, the shell enables her to blink and protect her only weak spot, her eye. But she's too big to be stunned. Alternatively, with enough force, you can remove the armor."

Emit nodded. It was obvious, if Navi was correct (and if she wasn't, Link was too tired to care), that the shell must be removed to attack her eye.

"Do you know what we do now?" Link asked, breathing hard.

"I will," Emit replied, his speed increasing again. Link was hardly on his own feet at this point, simply stumbling and tripping as Emit dragged him along. Link didn't care, as long as the monster didn't see them, and right now, the beast was screaming at the far side of the room and striking the walls, as if that would make them appear.

"You will?" Panting, Link could barely form the words. "How?"

"Educated guessing."

* * *

"So we were in this room with the monster, Reoh and me," Link mumbled, and his fingers began to strangle themselves, "and we didn't know how to kill it. So we kind of just…ran around until we figured we might as well try doing something with Valoo's tail."

"Do something?"

"Yeah." Link shrugged. "We basically took Komali's grappling hook and snagged Valoo's tail, then I used it to swing across the room."

"Over the beast's head?" Hoskit's mouth dropped open, and Quill smiled wryly. That had been his reaction too.

Link shrugged. "Reoh made sure I didn't die or anything." An smile spread on Link's face, and genuine happiness peeked through what had been an almost constant show of uncertainty. "He was…really nice, making sure the monster didn't hit me or I didn't fall in the lava or anything. I really don't think that…you know, he should be locked up in a room." For the first time since the interrogation began, Link sat still and smiled without a trace of fear. "He's a good person."

* * *

First off, it took forever for Link to actually get the hook around Valoo's tail. At least Emit was patient and helped give suggestions, demonstrating in the few seconds of respite they had between attacks and even asking if he should do it instead. Irritated at his attempts, Link almost complied to Emit's question, or was at the very least tempted to complain that Emit's harebrained idea that snagging the tail would actually do something, but wound up feeling sullen about his shortcomings and decided he'd get that hook around the tail even if it killed him.

Second off, it was the scariest thing Link had ever done. Being shot out of a catapult in a barrel included.

Link screeched as loud as his lungs would let him without imploding, and despite what he should have done, he kept his eyes locked firmly downwards, so he was staring right into the creature's eye, which was not even a few feet away from his dangling feet. Looking into the eye blank with pure instinct and the gaping mouth, blind terror accompanied the sudden feeling of his insignificance, and despite the beast clearly too transfixed by him to attack, he mouthed a silent prayer to Farore that he get out of this alive, as he'd promised, and that if the monster had to eat him, that the monster eat his head first so he didn't have to feel the rest of his body getting eaten. Link swung all the way forward, towards Reoh, who was on the other side of the room and looking rather surprised, slowed to a stop…and swung back towards Emit's side.

"What are you doing?" Reoh bellowed from the other side of the room.

"_I don't know_!" Link shrieked.

* * *

"Well…alright." Hoskit shrugged at Quill, unsure of what to make of that, and Quill nodded. The more Quill heard about Reoh from Link's testimony, the more Quill thought that perhaps what they'd done to Reoh was a bit too strict. "About the swinging," Hoskit prompted. "What'd it do?"

"It made the ceiling fall."

Hoskit gave Link a disbelieving look. "No way."

"Way!" Link insisted, sitting up a bit straighter in his chair. "When I swung across, Valoo's tail was going all funky and wiggly like a fish outta water, and then this big slab of rock on the ceiling fell. On the monster," he added, as if it needed clarification.

* * *

When Link finally did get himself off Valoo's tail, he didn't exactly do it gracefully. He flew headfirst towards Reoh, pinwheeling his arms madly and trying not to flip over all the way while the rope trailed behind him, hollering like he was trying to drown out the monster behind him. Things were a frantic blur, but Link caught a fleeting image of Reoh's shocked face—or rather, half-face—and then Link was lying on something squishy. The squishy thing turned out to be Reoh himself, who groaned loudly, blinked, and immediately pushed Link off, none to gently, and scrambled away. Miraculously, Link was unhurt for the most part, more than probably because he'd had a soft landing.

"Reoh!" Link exclaimed, surprised. "I'm sorry! Did I hurt you?" Then Link paused and stared at Reoh, who was getting up off the floor. "Did you try to catch me?"

"Sort of, which was infinitely stupid on my part," Reoh muttered, brushing ash off his shirt. "I didn't _catch_ you; I _tried_ to catch you and consequently got flattened."

Link grinned. "Thanks!"

"It's not like I could let you go breaking your neck," came the dour answer.

A muted roar, probably from Valoo, stopped anything further. He turned around in time to hear a thunderous crashing noise and the entire ceiling, all in one piece, plummet down on the creature's head. Link gasped. Hey, he hadn't wanted the monster to _die_! Link could see the exoskeleton cracking, the monster's eye rolling madly in its socket. Link held his breath as the monster shuddered, slipped, and began to sink into the lava, the slab of ceiling weighing it down. The monster screamed, fighting to keep its head above the surface, then the lava covered its mouth and high-pitched gurgling was all Link could hear, yellow bubbles the size of Link popping lazily.

"Did…did it die?" Link asked Reoh fearfully.

"I highly doubt it."

Relief was Link's initial reaction, but considering that this monster was trying to kill them and doing, so far, not that bad of a job, Link wasn't sure whether or not it not being dead was a good thing. After all, the longer Link spent off Outset, the more applicable the phrase, "Kill or be killed" seemed to be. How sick was that?

True enough, the monster burst back from the lava pool, angrily leaping up to the ceiling and jamming it back into place, lava dripping from its sizzling armor. Link narrowly avoided spray, once only because Reoh roughly pulled him out of the way. "You okay?" Reoh asked, but it was more like yelling, because the monster was so loud with its thrashing and screeching and splashing lava all over the place. Reoh pointed at the side of Link's neck, and when Link clapped his hand to it, he realized there was a minor burn there, something Link had barely noticed in the panic. It smelled like cooking bacon, disgustingly enough.

"Oh—yeah, I'm fine."

"Good. Run." And Reoh dashed off to the right, forcing Link to follow as the monster reared back another attack. "You're going back up," Reoh told Link as they ran, with Link panting and Reoh seeming fresh as ever, although Reoh did seem to run slow enough for Link to keep up, "and you're going back to Emit's side of the room. You'll just keep swinging back and forth between me and him until something happens, all right?"

Link couldn't reply; he was busy making sure the latest pincer attack didn't pulverize his ankles.

* * *

"And then we had to do that two more times." Now slightly more calm, Link's eyes were nearly glowing with what seemed like grim determination. "So the ceiling fell on the monster three times in total."

Hoskit's eyes looked like they were going to pop out of his head. "You did that _three_ _whole_ _times_?"

Link nodded twice, tangled hair flopping up and down.

"Little man, you're one amazing guy," Hoskit told him, admiration in his voice. Link rubbed his neck, wincing slightly as his hand accidentally hit a minor burn mark there, as embarrassed blush crept up his face. The coloring wasn't dark enough to camouflage the scrape on his cheek, and a blush wouldn't cover up a black eye, and the two worked together to constantly remind Quill that Link being "one amazing guy" would never offset the price it had come at.

* * *

Emit didn't try to catch Link, so he ended up on his face with an angry red scrape on his cheek from the grit on the ground. He did help Link up, though, and asked with what seemed like genuine concern if Link was alright—which he bloody well wasn't, but he didn't say that. As the monster turned back towards them, looming ominously, and Valoo's tail lowered itself through the hole to dangle from the ceiling, Emit took a quiet breath, then released it, as it invisible weight had lightened with that breath. Link turned to ask what now, but the question died in his throat as he saw Emit's shoulders relax and his eyes grow brighter. A million miles away, Emit's expression brightened with exhilaration, a certain harshness slipping away, but the corner of his eye twitched with a rueful resentment. Deliberately, his jaw locked and his eyes smiled with more pain than mirth, as if contemplating some bittersweet irony.

_Look at me now_, Orca used to say after they sparred, gesturing to his bad leg with that same taut smile. _Look at me now._

Link had never understood it.

But then Emit blinked and the moment passed, leaving Link to treasure the single mental snapshot he had of the enigmatic moment.

* * *

Now clearly engrossed in Link's story, Hoskit leaned forward. "What happened on the third time?"

"All the monster's armor cracked and fell off," Link replied, but he didn't seem proud. It was simply a somber statement of fact.

"Sweet!" Hoskit grinned. "Was it ugly?"

Link smiled shyly and admitted, "Well…kind of."

* * *

Link could hear the hiss, the vicious whistle as huge chunks of shell flew by, skidding to a sizzling halt on the ground, and although Link never got close to any of those, Link could feel his stomach sinking. The slab of ceiling that had been falling on the beast over and over had been reduced to rubble this time as the beast's shell broke, and Link knew it was time for a change in tactics, but Link didn't have the slightest clue of what to do now.

The inside flesh of the monster looked like a crab's without its shell on, but Link could see that all the flesh was covered in fresh lava. Link would probably melt his sword if tried attacking that, if he even wanted to. Surely, _surely_ there could be a way to stop this without getting the monster killed. Couldn't he trap it somehow? Link glanced around the room desperately, looking for something, anything—and that was when Reoh seized Link's collar and dragged him to the left.

"Run," he rasped, and they sprinted to the left, circling around the perimeter of the room. When they'd gone halfway around and narrowly avoided two pincer attacks, Reoh abruptly stopped. "Listen here, kid," he said in a hushed, hurried voice, bending down to Link's eye level, "the way you kill it now is you use that grappling hook there," and Reoh nodded at the coil of rope in Link's hand, "and attack its eye. At least, I'm pretty sure that's what you do." He glanced towards the monster, who watched them right back and seemed to be readying another attack, but Reoh seemed to be trying to look _around_ the monster's girth.

"Miss Navi said that the shell would prevent the eye from being hit—"

"We just got rid of that shell, didn't we?" Reoh's eyes kept darting to the far side of the room, craning his neck to see around the monster's thick body. "If you use it now, it—dammit, run!" And Reoh pushed Link to the right this time. He made Link stop after that, then run to the right, then stop, then to the left, then stop, then right, stop, left, right, left, stop, right, stop, right, stop, left, on and on and on until Link was exhausted and didn't even care where he was running anymore, and even then Reoh kept going.

It was clear to Link after only a few minutes exactly what Reoh was doing. It had nothing to do with avoiding the monster's attempts to kill them; often, Reoh didn't even acknowledge the beast's roars and swipes. In a circular room like this, there was only a strip of land around the perimeter of the room. It was a huge circle, with Reoh and Link at one side and Emit on the other. Whenever Emit moved to Link's left, Reoh told Link to run to Link's right. Whenever Emit moved to Link's right, Reoh told Link to run to Link's left. Whenever Emit was still, Reoh told Link to stay where he was.

In a simple keep-away game type logic, Reoh was keeping Link away from Emit.

Influence race indeed.

But perhaps for good reason, Link thought as he remembered the first room with the unconscious Bokoblins and Emit's disapproving stare. That must be why. Link smiled wearily. He appreciated the gesture, but as the keep-away game went on, and Link looked for an alternate route and found none, Link knew that there really was only one way out of this.

* * *

Hoskit laughed loudly at Link's response and patted Link on the head. "I bet it _was_ one ugly demon, kid!"

Link smiled thinly.

* * *

"Y-You can stop now, Reoh," Link gasped, tired from the running, but still finding the energy to tug on Reoh's sleeve as he started to run again.

Reoh blinked down at him. "…Really?"

"Yeah," Link whispered, so quietly he almost couldn't hear himself. "It's…the only way, I guess…"

Reoh glanced at the monster, which was still hunting for them, its multiple, spindly legs flexing threateningly. Slowly, Reoh knelt down so he was at the same level as Link. "I'd do it for you—I'd do it all for you if I could. Do you know that?"

Link nodded.

"But I can't. You know that too, right?"

Link nodded.

"And you know I'll always hate this because I can't do it for you and you have to do it. Right?"

Link nodded.

Reoh glanced away, then back again. "One piece of advice?" said Reoh. "Do it before he gets here."

Link smiled.

* * *

Still laughing, Hoskit asked, "So after all that ugliness was exposed, what happened then, kid?"

"Then…" Link stopped, then tried again. "Then I…" Lips pursed, he sighed, shaking his head slightly, like he was admonishing himself. Silly you, he seemed to tell himself with a painfully polite smile and a long, silent sigh, quietly resigning himself to something Quill knew nothing of.

"Then Reoh killed it."

* * *

With his blade poised above the beast's eye, Link hesitated. The monster was stunned, its head and single eye lying on the ground before him. He wanted this moment to slow down so he could think, so he could prepare himself, ready himself against the sight of the defenseless eye just a foot away. Time wouldn't slow down. It wouldn't wait for him, not even in his head. He'd do it now, before it regained enough sense to pick itself up again.

His—or rather, Komali's—grappling hook was in his hand. He'd thrown it at the monster's eye and hooked it, reeled the monster's head in towards him like it were a fish. So maybe he really was a fisherman, just like he would have been if he hadn't left Outset. Imagine that: he used to _live_ on that peaceful, unchanging island. It seemed so far away. Link glanced down at the hook, fingers shaking. Blood was still dripping from it. In fact, there were bits of eye clinging to the edges. There was less blood on the shredded scraps than Link had expected. Link looked back at the monster's eye, his eyes tracing the gaping scar in its otherwise perfect surface as the eye rolled uncontrollably in the socket.

Emit was somewhere—not here. Link didn't care where he was. Reoh was standing beside him, waiting. Link cared where _he_ was. His eyes slid towards Reoh, seeking security, and Reoh just nodded, dirty hair covering one rueful eye. Whatever Link decided, whatever he chose, Reoh would stand by it. And hopefully he would pass no judgement, either.

Time wasn't going to slow down for him. It'd pass him by in a blink of an eye. The monster was about to regain its senses. If he didn't do it now, Link would have to hook the eye again.

What was Link doing here? He just wanted to save Aryll. Couldn't he back out? He didn't have to. He could weasel out of this if he really wanted to. He cared less about what Emit thought on this decision than Link cared about where Emit was right now, and he felt a fragile, newborn voice within him saying that Reoh didn't care what Link decided, only that Link should decide and that Reoh would stand by it. The longer Link stared at the eye, the longer Link thought about it, the more he realized that he really could just run away from this.

But that was quitting, wasn't it?

* * *

Hoskit shut up. There was a silence, in which Quill stood and Hoskit leaned back in his chair. "You're telling us," Hoskit said, "that the one who saved the great Valoo was Reoh."

"Yes. Well, we worked together to save Valoo, but he's the one who destroyed the monster." Link glanced down again, then added, "He even got injured while doing so." Curiously, Link snorted as he said this, as if this were somehow funny.

Hoskit twisted around to look at Quill again, but instead of commenting on this, Quill asked Link, "And what happened after that?"

"I walked back outside."

* * *

"Link!" Medli gasped and rushed him as the door opened, throwing her arms around him. Tears still dripped weakly from her eyes.

"I don't think you should be doing that," Link said, trying to push her away.

"Why n—" and she broke off as she pulled away and stared at his soaked tunic, still multiple shades of dark blue and black. It hadn't dried yet. A shining coat now covered her own dress, like they were grotesque twins, identical in the patterns they sported on their outfits. "Wha—what happened?"

"I killed it," Link replied shortly. "Shall we leave?"

As Medli gaped at him, Link's gaze slipped over his shoulder to watch Reoh and Emit come through the door, and the door closed behind them, shutting out the sight of the monster's black carcass still frozen in its—_her_—death throes. Link's eyes met Reoh's, and Reoh nodded—no judgment made. Then Link's eyes met Emit's, and what passed through that eye contact was nothing at all.

And that was the final blow.

* * *

"And," Link said, voice dropping so low Quill could barely hear it and that nervous demeanor returning again, "when I walked outside, Emit was there…"

"I think you already told us he stayed outside," Hoskit remarked.

"Oh… Um, Medli was unconscious…"

"She wasn't unconscious before you entered the room?"

"No, sir."

"Hmm…" Hoskit scratched his head. "What else?"

Link opened his mouth, paused, closed it, opened his mouth and lifted his finger, watched his own finger shake, watched everyone else watch his own finger shake, lowered it, clenched his teeth, studied his feet, looked back up at Hoskit, sucked in a breath, lost his nerve, became vaguely interested in a torch, took another breath, faced Quill, glanced away, picked at the splinters on the underside of his chair, rocked slightly in his chair to find that one of the chair's legs was wobbly, tilted his head, chewed his tongue, then finally settled for watching his left foot grind his right foot into the floor. His head hung low and he was once again squirming and fidgeting, his eyes darting like tiny fish who'd caught sight of the predator. His head never lifted.

"Komali's legs were broken, Mr. Hoskit."

There was a silence.

"Link," Hoskit asked, "what are you trying to say?"

"I don't know, Mr. Hoskit," Link whispered. "What _am_ I trying to say?"


	36. Echo

It wasn't impossible to get out of this unscathed. It was just going to be…tricky.

It'd be easier, though, if Quill knew where not to tread. He figured his best bet might be to just trust the chieftain's judgement and agree with whatever he said. The chieftain kept everything packed away from the public eye, hidden under a face that barely changed from its stern, strong gaze. It gave a sense of security, of comforting predictability, as long as one didn't consider that he might not stay that way forever. It was why he was the chieftain. It was why he was _just_ the chieftain, and not a father, or a husband, or a friend, or a person at all. It was why he sat behind a desk sorting paperwork about his son's injury instead of being by his son's bedside and handling the issue with something shorter than a ten-foot pole.

But then again, this was the man who'd rather give a postman a letter to give to an attendant in training to give to a foreign child to give to his son than give the letter to his son himself, or better yet, actually _talk_ to his son. That considered, it was more of a fifty-foot pole.

Quill shifted his weight slightly, resisting the urge to do it again and maybe clear his throat. The chieftain's eyes flickered upwards briefly, but his head stayed bowed over the stack of papers as he scribbled signatures on one, then skimmed another, hastily editing a line near the end as he did, while his other hand slipped a letter out from under a stack and held it out to the fireplace nearby with an almost expectant air, like a master would feed his dog. The flames licked at the edges before a dark stain spread, and the paper curled in on itself with a slight crackling noise. Quill caught the words "unsuitable heir" on the parchment just as the chieftain flicked what was left of it into the fireplace.

"Quill," the chieftain said. His eyes were still set on the paper as it shriveled into a black lump.

"Yes, sir?"

"Do you remember the last time a fairy was used on this island for medicinal purposes?"

"Yes, sir. It was six years ago."

The chieftain nodded as he continued, "There was a young Rito around Komali's age, but he had received his scale already. A storm struck that night, and the young Rito had been practicing flying when it hit. Both his wings were broken. Do you remember that?"

Quill hesitated, mentally shaking the fog off the old memories, before repeating, "Yes, sir."

The chieftain said, "Fairies had all but vanished four years prior to that incident. We'd saved quite a few before they began to disappear, but accidents happen, and our stock of fairies went down and was never replenished. None were found around the island, and we never were able to get any from exports; merchants ran out one year before we did. The fledgling with the broken wings took our last one." Quill spied his fingers lacing together under the desk, but saw no other trace of anxiety. "They've been gone for an entire decade, and not a single Rito has been healed via a fairy for six years."

Quill knew where he was going with this, but he didn't have to like it.

"But maybe," the chieftain said, tone strangely light as he selected yet another paper and offered it to the flames for no apparent reason other than to see it burn, "maybe we'll find one. Like a very strange coincidence…or a miracle."

"We can always hope," Quill replied, yet his supportive words were born of courtesy, not heartfelt emotions.

The chieftain nodded shortly, but to his mild frustration, Quill couldn't tell if his mind was present or not. "I organized search parties. I know our postmen have been told to keep an eye out for fairies as they fly their routes, but this is the first time we've had Ritos sent out for that reason alone."

Just as the fire claimed the second paper, Quill thought he saw the word "disown."

"The medic examined my son. Did you hear the verdict yet?"

"No," Quill replied truthfully, but didn't voice the fact that he didn't need to hear it. Anybody with half a brain—

"The legs are shattered. Shattered like _eggshells_, Quill."

—knew that recovery was nigh impossible.

"With damage to that extent, a fairy is absolutely necessary for full recovery. For now, however, the medic can only attempt to ward off infection and the consequential amputation. If my son can avoid having his legs cut off altogether…"

The chieftain blinked. His eyes tightened slightly.

"Well," the chieftain said softly, "considering he never did anything of late other than sit in his room, I suppose he won't miss his ability to walk too much."

A lack of use in a Rito's legs wasn't particularly a bad thing. As long as they could still stand, they could just fly to wherever they wanted to, and landing and take-off might be a problem, but that just meant they had to be especially careful about it. The difference here was that the young prince didn't _have_ his wings, and in order to get them, he needed to journey through Dragon Roost cavern—which required legs. Considering he was the chieftain's son, Quill could only guess how badly breaking tradition could affect the chieftain's rule, or the prince's once he took over. Or if anyone would let him get his scale at all. In the worst case scenario, he'd stay a wingless Rito and somebody else would be chosen as the chieftain's heir. But Quill doubted it would come to that…or at least _hoped_ it wouldn't.

"So I suppose that we shall have to accept my son's situation for what it is—I cannot do much more than that," the chieftain muttered, "but at the very least…" The chieftain picked up a folder, almost tiredly, and Quill wondered if he was going to burn that too. He flipped through the pages, and the hideous handwriting scrawled haphazardly across its front told Quill it was written by Hoskit and therefore most likely Link's interrogation report, containing all the details on what they knew and assumed.

"Revenge should count for something." He glanced up. "Wouldn't you agree, Quill?"

Quill silently appraised the chieftain. No, Quill didn't agree. A word as selfish and detestable as "revenge" should not be coming from the mouth of the chieftain. It was unhealthy—for not only the chieftain and his reputation if anyone ever heard this conversation, but the Ritos as a whole. Revenge was associated with selfish, irrational thinking and spilt blood, which the Great Sea needed no more of. With girls disappearing and now this fiasco, not to mention the pirates who had ruled the seas years back, blood was enough to send the peaceful Ritos into panic. Tragedy, the general public assumed, would be the only result of such barbaric vengeance, and if the word "revenge" was uttered in a tone a shade too seriously, wary whispers of fear would result. It was a dark, despicable concept.

So no, Quill did not agree.

But he could also be patient.

"Yes, sir."

* * *

Link had never heard Navi scream in fear before. He's heard her yell, shout, shriek, screech, yelp, wail—but never scream with the pure fear that swelled in your chest and clawed at your throat. Link knew what it felt like, because he'd felt it more times than he'd care to recount. When Link had seen the first Deku Baba inside the Great Deku Tree, he admitted he had screamed in fear, and Navi had been the one to walk him through the experience, advising him how to kill it and, when he refused to do so, kindly instructing him how to defend himself. When Link had fallen past the spiderweb into the inky depths of the Great Deku Tree, sure he was going to die, he had screamed in fear then too, and Navi had fought to force her voice above his to tell him there was a pool of water below him, not unending nothing, and he was not going to die. And when the yellow eye had flicked open in the darkness and every nightmare he'd ever had in his life condensed into this salivating and clearly bloodthirsty thing called Queen Gohma had crawled towards him with her monstrous legs, he's screamed in fear again, and then Navi had informed him that if he would just calm down and hey, _listen_, she could tell him everything he'd ever wanted to know about how to survive this horror and more.

It wasn't like Navi hadn't gone through her fair share of surprises and hazardous situations herself. She's followed him all those years, and following the guy destined to save the world from the King of Evil was not the safest thing to do. But when danger rolled around, she never really flat-out panicked; she was simply more inclined to blurt out advice too shrilly.

So overall, of the two of them, the one who tended to have some semblance of control over threatening situations was her, while he did his best to stay alive, partly trying to find the weak point and partly waiting for her do it for him. So now, it struck him as darkly funny that she was the one in danger, not him, and _nothing changed_. She'd tried her best (as frantic and weak as it might have been) against the Rito and his attempts to stuff her in a bottle, and he'd just shouted and shook the bars of his cell uselessly. Even now, hours later, all he could do was pace and try to control his thought processes, which were shamelessly skittish like a spooked horse. Just thinking in a linear manner took actual effort, despite the fact that he'd devoted his entire life as a Hylian to focused purpose, and it was, needless to say, infuriating. It really didn't make any sense. All he could manage to think about were Navi and thinking clearly, and neither were really producing a solution. It was pathetic, he told himself with a sigh.

Maybe he was being too harsh on himself, one side of his head suggested.

Too harsh? The other side scoffed. What about the situation doesn't he understand?

Nothing, the first side replied tartly. But he's overreacting.

The second side laughed. If he understood, then he'd know there's _no such thing_ as too harsh in this situation. It's all spiraled way out of his control.

Yes, the first side replied, but wishing Navi were here isn't going to do anything. Besides, Navi disappearing wasn't as much of a problem as he was making it out to be. He'd gone without her before. It's not like he couldn't think for himself, and he would do so.

He thinks not, the second side said slyly.

Of course he can, the first side shot back a tad too quickly. He let go of her and moved on—

—by sitting on a roof all day? The first side snickered. Face it: if he _could_ think without her, he wouldn't have left Hyrule to look for her in the first place.

Letting out a cry of outrage, the first side shrieked foul play while the second side merely shrugged. Hey, the second said said, can you tell me I'm wrong?

Now thoroughly pissed off, Link told both sides to shut up and let him walk in peace. The command was unnecessary, as first side simmered in defeated silence and the second watched smugly.

* * *

The last time Link had stood in this room and talked to Medli, she'd greeted him with a kind, if timid, smile and and bowed out of courtesy, then proceeded to nervously request his help in climbing Dragon Roost mountain. This time, Medli greeted him with a hurt stare, eyes puffy from tears, and proceeded to say that if he didn't tell her what was going on, she would not be responsible for her actions. But even though the words were threatening, her brittle tone belied more confusion and fear than anger, and the mussed ponytail complementing the vivid smudges on her face, her arms, her dress—heck, _everywhere_ on her only served to give a haunted look to her fear.

She was wounded from betrayal, and it was a fitting testament to his colossally _stupid_ actions. Oh, sure, it hadn't been _his_ plan, but he'd been the one to pull it off and he certainly hadn't checked the idea for flaws before executing it. He was as much at fault as anybody else involved. The excuse that he wanted to fall over right now and sleep two three days straight because he was so _exhausted_ only went so far—common sense should still work in a sleep-deprived state most of the time, right?

He had an obligation to fix it. Yet, dangerous and disgraceful as it was, he needed help. So despite the accusatory glare that was offset only by the tear-streaked cheeks below, he asked Medli, whose reply was a long silence before a hesitant, "Define fix."

"I'm going to rescue 'em," Link answered with confidence he didn't feel.

"But…that makes no sense!" cried Medli, sounding frustrated. "Why undo what you just went to such lengths to do?"

Link paused for a heartbeat. "I just want to do what's best." Link silently gave himself a mental pat on the back for the sufficiently vague response before slapping himself for having to resort to trickery and falsehoods. What had he gotten himself into? Lies beget lies, his grandmother had told him, and once it starts you'll never escape. And not only had Grandma said never to lie, Orca had said that all rules in the world could be summed into one: "Never do anything you'd regret." He'd spend not even two months off the island and already he was regretting something so badly he'd give everything he owned to have it undone.

"Best? _Best_? W-Wha…?" Medli gave him an incredulous, open-mouthed stare as she slowly shook her head in disbelief. "What in the name of Din do you mean, 'what's best'?"

"Er—well," Link chuckled nervously, "I mean that what's best is to undo what I did, because it obviously didn't work out how I planned."

"Then how _was_ it planned?" There was a strange sort of steel in her eyes as she met his gaze. "You're going to have to tell me if I'm going to help you accomplish anything. It's just undeniable logic that in order to help you, I need to understand everything!"

"Not really."

Link watched the determination fade from her eyes as quickly as it had grown. Should he feel bad? Hesitantly, Medli asked, "Ah…excuse me?"

Link shook his head wearily, but relieved as well to find himself with a conversation topic he had confidence in, even if it wasn't his favorite. "Just what I said. You don't really need to understand everything to help."

"I…" Medli swallowed visibly. "I'm sorry, but I… I still don't understand…"

"First of all," Link sighed, "the term 'help' varies from person to person and their opinions. Even you wanted me to 'define fix' to make sure what I had in mind was at least similar to what you did. So you wanting to understand the full picture so you can 'help' might not be good for me at all. Second of all, it is not necessary to know all the details in order to help… er, help _me_, that is, and you too if our definitions of 'fix' coincide."

"How? I don't understand how that's possible," Medli said.

"I tried to help you without understanding all the details about the situation," Link pointed out. "You conveniently forgot to tell me that the reason why you weren't allowed to go up the mountain in the first place was because of the recent monster sightings, and I never bothered to ask. In the case I _did_ manage to succeed, I could go through with it without ever knowing why you needed my help. " Medli blushed furiously and looked down in embarrassment. Link only smiled, and, with no trace of venom, pointed out, "It's a good thing I never did get you to the other side, isn't it?"

"Ah—I suppose so," Medli murmured, eyes still turned down towards her hands wrapped tightly around each other. "Although it didn't matter much in the end…"

Link let out a tired laugh. "Yeah, I guess so. But what I'm trying to say is that sometimes, it's better not to ask why. Sometimes—only sometimes—it's better if you just let them have their own unknown reasons, as long as you trust them enough to have the same definition of 'fix.' Right?"

Gnawing the inside of his cheek, Link ran over what he'd just said and, to his dismay, found a thousand something holes in it. He made a mental note to himself not to ever try to regurgitate information he didn't understand from Sturgeon's philosophy books again. Especially when he didn't agree with the philosophy in the first place.

"So…you're asking me to trust you," Medli said softly.

Link bit his lip. "I guess I am."

"Why should I?"

It wasn't as much of a question as it was a plea to be convinced, and Link could only try his best to comply. "Because I really am trying to make this right. I'll tell you right now that this…" Link gestured to the door behind them, indicating the cells that lay somewhere out the door and beneath their feet. "This is all just a big misunderstanding. I'll do my best to clean it up. And besides, trying to clean this mess doesn't have _anything_ to do with why there was a mess in the first place." Link paused, searching for words, then sucked in a breath and tried again to erase the lingering doubt and fear in Medli's face.

"I'm just trying to make this right. Isn't that enough?"

"Not really," she said, "but I'll pretend it is."

Good enough for him.

* * *

"All I want to know is why."

There was no answer to Link's question, although the dungeon made his voice echo at throw his question right back at him, inducing more frustration than anything. He tapped the bars of his empty cell, hearing the faint ring of solid metal. Even the worn stones that comprised the corridor beyond the bars looked somehow friendlier in the dim lighting than the ones in his own cell. That corridor tasted of freedom and the chance to find Navi, and he was so close, but not close enough.

"I suppose that sneaking out could be a reason for hostility, but not to _this_ extent. When they took Navi, they were so forceful about it, like we were real criminals already convicted of a crime."

Link pursed his lips, eyes fixed on the opposite wall as his own voice replied in a faint mockery of his words. Did it want Link to hear _twice_ that Navi was gone, just to frustrate him further?

"And you'd think the kid would have heard by now and come down to talk to us. To give us _any_ sort of information."

The slight vehement quality of his tone wasn't lost in the echo, and Link cringed as he heard it reflected back at himself. He stood quickly and paced the perimeter, head down so low he almost bumped into the wall before turning the corner at the last second. There was no answer beyond the echo that wasted no time in fading away, leaving him with his near-silent footsteps. Finally, he dragged his feet to a halt and looked at the enviable wall beyond his bars.

"I don't get it."

"Get it—get it—" the echo replied.

"What do you think?"

_"Do you think—do you think—" _came the echo.

"Are you going to ignore me?"

_"Ignore me—me—"_

"Hello?"

_"Hello—hello—hello—"_

"Are you there?"

_"Are you there—you there—"_

"Unfortunately," snapped an identical voice.

Link smiled thinly. "Good." Lacing his fingers together, he faced the cell wall, as if he could see through it and two others to the cell four spaces down, and asked again in his politest voice. "So what do you think of this?"

There was no reply.

"Sitting and being grumpy won't do anything." Oh, that was rich coming from him, he thought, but at least he was making an effort to stop. "We need to cooperate."

_"Operate—operate"_ mimicked the echo.

There was no reply.

"There's no reason to be moody in the first place. There's a reason to be _confused_, yes, but we can't do that. We need to focus."

_"To focus—focus"_

There was no reply.

"Shall I leave you to sulk?"

_"You to sulk—to sulk—"_

"Please," growled the voice.

Link shook his head like a parent admonishing his child, then realized that he was shaking his head at a wall and the action would go unseen. "I doubt either of us can get out of this alone."

"I'm not alone," was Reoh-Link's reply. "_You_ are."

* * *

Quill could not believe his eyes.

"Please," the guard said again, "_please_ just take this thing off my hands. Give it to the chieftain for me."

"Of course," said Quill automatically, "but why…?"

The guard rubbed his neck. "Y'see, when I took it, the prisoner kind of exploded. I was scared, sir, honestly scared that if I got too close he'd rip a limb off me. He looked desperate to get it back." He lowered his voice to an almost conspiratorial tone. "And I have to stand in front of this door guarding their cells… I keep thinking that crazy one's going to bust himself out and take it back."

They both glanced warily at the door behind the guard, then down at the bottle and the frantic fairy within. Quill stared at it with unashamed fascination. After all these years, here was one in his very hands, safely captured and ready for use. Squaring his jaw, Quill shook his head. If Emit wanted this fairy back, he'd have to go through not only the bars on his cell, but through Quill. He didn't care why Emit wanted the fairy so badly—all that mattered was that the answer to all their problems lay within this small creature, and Quill wouldn't let _anything_ interfere with it.

"There's nothing to worry about. He's safely behind bars," Quill reassured him.

"Maybe, maybe not," the guard retorted darkly. "Maybe he's still in there rattling the door of his cell, or maybe he's ripped the door off its hinges."


	37. Dawn, pt 1

"Life goes on." It was a mantra that people recite to themselves as they stare at the shards of a favorite plate, or the corpse of a close friend. It was something everyone knows.

It wasn't something that everyone believes.

And life was, ultimately, not something that existed outside the human mind; giving it a label, a definitive word of four letters, as if it were a solid object to be touched and held, was a mistake of language. If the mind asked life to wait for it, life would, in the world that was perceived and constructed within the mind. If the mind didn't move on, then neither would life. In the end, it all depended on "you."

In the jail cells below Rito Hall, life became the the cold stones of the floor and the hallway beyond the bars. In the chieftain's room above, life lay still in the ashes of burnt papers. In the hospital wing, life was blank and dark and numbed with what painkillers were in stock. Life was small and cramped, shoved away in dark corners to shudder to a stop.

For some, life stopped here. For others, it already had.

* * *

Link heard the noise behind the sound of Midna's lilting voice discarding his fourth escape plan. It wasn't loud at first, just a faint creaking noise that could have been a squeaky hinge, or a distant noise of Goddesses-knew-what from outside. But then it gathered volume and strength, until Midna's gesticulating hand halted in midair; and then even louder to its crescendo like a beast gaining speed, until Link clapped his hands over his ears; then louder still, stretching impossibly long and impossibly high.

And then it vanished.

There was a moment of silence. Carefully, Link cracked one eye open and studied the hallway beyond the bars through the corner of his eye, somehow unwilling to face it. It had been, he realized, the sound of metal being bent, but something in Link's gut told him that it wasn't just that—if Link had been a poet, he would have said it was the sound of one unmovable meeting another and finding, once and for all, which was unmovable and which was simply difficult. Or perhaps it was his paranoia. Same thing, really. Maybe poets were born from paranoia. Or guilt. What did he know?

"Well?"

Link looked up at Midna and raised an eyebrow, whatever uncertainty had been on his face wiped clean. "Well, what?"

"Aren't you going to check it out, wolf-boy?"

He shot her a reproachful look, almost to say "Of course," but when he failed to answer in words, Midna smirked at him. Because, to be honest, they both knew he didn't want to. Paranoia painted shadows in light, was the Hylian saying. The Twilian saying was that guilt painted light in shadows. As if guilt was a good thing.

He looked anyway. But it was because he wanted to prove her wrong, so even though he placed his forehead against the bars and peered down the hallway, he wasn't sure if he really registered what he saw, because he'd been so focused on Midna he couldn't recall. All he remembered a snap, and then the world going white.

* * *

Quill had done what he was supposed to. In his entire (albeit relatively short) career as a postman, he'd never missed a shift, or failed to deliver his letters on time. He'd done his part to solve the mystery of Valoo's rage. He'd heard Link out, doing what the police force should have done for him, and found the truth about Emit. He'd brought the fairy and the prince's possibly last hope to the Chieftain.

"I'm sorry," said the fairy. "I won't heal your son."

But sometimes, Quill found, even if you did everything right, things still turned out wrong.

"I-I know that's hard for you to hear, and it's not that I don't want to," added the fairy, but the damage was done. Quill merely looked down, jaw set in place, and replaced the cork in the bottle. If the fairy protested, they couldn't hear. All they could see was the fairy lying on the floor of the bottle, light pulsing like a discarded heart. Together, Quill and the Chieftain looked at the light within the bottle, the Chieftain sitting behind his desk with his fingers laced and Quill standing at his side, arms crossed.

"I'll take her to the police force," Quill offered, if only to break the silence. "They could get a straight answer out of her."

The Chieftain didn't offer a response, but watched the bottle as if waiting for something. When it didn't happen—whatever it was—the Chieftain looked up at Quill and said, "We shouldn't be rude, Quill. Take the cork out."

Quill tried not to hesitate, but it was as if he had to force himself to move and take the bottle, setting the cork on the table with care and stretching his fingers over the lid like the bars of a jail cell. After all, the chieftain didn't want to be rude, but of course he didn't want the fairy to escape. In Quill's opinion, there wasn't any middle ground between the two—either they were rude and kept the fairy in the bottle, or they were polite and set the fairy free. As the air hummed beneath Quill's palm, it was all too clear which side of the line they were on.

It wasn't the first time Quill wondered if he should just be done with it and join the police force—and possibly the Chieftain would leave him alone if he wasn't a conveniently useable third party.

"Miss Fairy," the Chieftain began.

"Navi," corrected the fairy. It was, perhaps, the only word she'd managed to say so far in a voice that didn't tremble faster than a taunt bowstring.

"Miss Navi," the Chieftain said. "Excuse me for prying, but I'm going to have to ask a few questions. Is that alright?"

"Y-Yes…"

"You have made two very curious claims within the last ten minutes. The first," and his fingers separated, sliding from each other to drum softly on the tabletop, "being that you are a different species of fairy."

"Yes…" she mumbled, then in a stronger, clearer voice, she repeated, "Yes, I am."

Neither acknowledging nor rejecting this statement, the Chieftain continued: "Your second claim is that because you are a different species, you cannot heal my son. Is this correct?"

"That… that's correct, yes."

"Then," replied the Chieftain, "do you have any proof to support these claims?"

One second ticked by, then two, and in the span of those moments, Quill could almost see the thoughts in the fairy's mind whirring faster and faster as her wings slowed.

"You don't believe me?"

The hands lifted from the desktop in an innocent gesture as the Chieftain shrugged. "How can we?"

"But…" An almost shrill, high note lifted the word into simultaneous desperation and whining. "But haven't you… heard of guardian fairies…?"

"I'm afraid not."

The fairy's wings stilled, then twitched. The already pale blue faded nearly to white. "…Oh," was all she said.

"Is there a way to prove the difference between these 'guardian fairies' and regulars?"

"No."

"Anything? Anything at all?"

Perhaps it was the tinge of raw emotion that crept into the Chieftain's voice that made the fairy shiver. Quill himself wasn't sure if it was a slip, or calculated bait, but whichever one it was, it most certainly worked. "There's one way," the fairy was saying, then: "I mean, not really, it's nothi—"

And the Chieftain didn't miss a beat: "So there is a way?"

But the fairy missed several beats and then more, and when her voice finally sputtered back to life, the words were mangled by a strange new fear. "That's… no, I mean—I mean it's not… I was just… that's not something I can—"

"You just said—"

"I know what I said, but—"

"Then why are—"

"It's not something I can just—"

"And why not?" said the Chieftain firmly. "You mentioned it yourself. Why isn't it something you can just…" There was a pause as he realized that he'd cut her off before she'd finished the sentence, so he filled in the rest of the sentence with a hand gesture.

"It's something that… only shows itself after…" She paused, then finished with new firmness: "It only shows itself after a long period of time. It's an invalid method."

"Invalid or not, I would still like to know."

The air under Quill's hand bristled again, this time from indignation. "It wouldn't do you any good!"

"Excuse me for prying, but my opinion has not changed."

"I can't excuse you until your opinion does."

"Then perhaps you shouldn't have brought it up in the first place."

"That's—" she began angrily, then stopped. When she spoke again, there was an odd note in her voice. "…Yes. Yes, I shouldn't have brought it up. I spoke without thinking," she admitted. "You won't believe me without evidence, and… and that was the only thing I could think of. So I said it. Because I _need_ you to believe me—not for my sake, or for yours. You have my ward somewhere, and he needs me, and I need him. If the way I can get back to him is by getting out of this bottle, and the way to get out of this bottle is to convince you to let me go, and the way to convince you to let me go is to convince you that I'm cannot heal your son, then that's what I need to do.

"But this is an invalid method," she repeated. "It won't do you any good."

They waited a few seconds, but when she didn't say anything more, the Chieftain frowned and fixed her with a level stare. The Chieftain stood. Placed his hands on the desk. Looked down at her, the shutters behind his eyes shuddering.

"If my son can't walk, he may never get a scale; and if he doesn't get a scale he can't fly; and if he can't fly he can't be chieftain; and there's twenty other politicians with sons who can walk and fly and are more than willing to take the opportunity to seize the spotlight and shove my son into a infamy and a life of an outcast for being The Prince Who Couldn't Live Up To His Birthright. There's far more than twenty who never thought my son was good enough to be chieftain in the first place, and I haven't had to replace the logs in my fireplace because there's more than enough letters pushing me to disown him that I can burn instead. And perhaps I've never been the best parent, perhaps I've never been there for him, but I'm still a father and I wanted to be there; and I'll be damned if I fail him now—so please, not because of your imaginary ward and your excuses, but because this is about about my son's legs and his entire future and relationship with the only family he has left, tell the truth."

—was what the Chieftain should have said. But what he actually said was:

"Excuse me for prying, but my opinion has not changed."

* * *

For somebody committing a crime, Medli took an awfully long time. First, she bowed to him, introducing herself formally as "the great Valoo's attendant." Then she smoothed out her dress (clean and obviously a different one from the cavern, which was probably irreparable anyway), knelt as close as she could to the bars without touching, and asked, "You _are_ Reoh... aren't you?"

Link didn't move from the far wall. "Yeah."

"Ah, good," she said, sounding relieved. "I was kind of guessing by what you were wearing. The..." She motioned to her face. "The mask's gone, so it's kind of... um..."

"...Yeah."

She leaned forward, motioning Link closer, and when he scooted towards her a foot or two, she lowered her voice as low as it would go and whispered, "Where's Emit?"

Link jabbed a thumb down the hallway. "Four cells down."

"Can he hear us?"

"Probably," Link said wryly. "The echo here is a work of art."

She bit her lip. With a nervous glance towards the door, outside which the Rito guard was posted, she pulled a piece of paper and a pencil from under her harp and scribbled a quick line on it. She slid the paper across the floor through the bars, dirt scratching underneath, and looked at him expectantly.

_Link wants me to help you._

There wasn't really much Link could say to that statement, so he just waited. Medli, who had been waiting for him, was apparently putting up a valiant fight not to let her face crumble into an expression of exasperation and despair. With something like resignation, she pulled the paper back and wrote three words more.

_But not Emit._

There wasn't much to be said to that, either, but he nodded anyway.

_Why aren't you surprised_?

She looked up and held out the pencil, a hint of accusation and triumph in her grip. Good call, he said to her in his head, where she wouldn't hear. He took the pencil and set it to the paper, not even a fraction of hesitation.

_i am_

He handed the pencil back through the bars, and when she didn't take it immediately, he let his eyebrow drift upwards in apparent confusion. She snatched the pencil back like the action had burned her somehow.

_You don't look it._

He just shrugged. Innocent people were not troubled by such statements. When she silently urged him to take the pencil back and elaborate, his other eyebrow raised, as if mystified by her insistence. He took the pencil anyway.

_i guess i don't show it_

He gave another shrug and offered the pencil back. She didn't take it, and Link's jaw squared itself; innocent people were confused and suspicious of such insistence.

_is this some sort of test_

She recoiled, eyes widening, then shook her head a little too fast as she took the pencil.

_I just_

And she stopped there, unable to finish her thought. Her eyes slid to the side, clouded with worry, before she began again underneath her initial two words.

_Can you tell me_ (and Medli's hand paused a moment to clutch at the pencil before continuing) _what Link is trying to accomplish?_

She offered the pencil to him, and he took it slowly, trying to buy time to figure out what to say to that. He twirled the pencil in his fingers as she looked at him expectantly, and he really, truly wished she wouldn't.

_no._

He added the period at the end almost as an afterthought, jabbing the paper harder than he should have as if to prove that there truly wasn't anything more. He looked up at her, as if daring to tell him otherwise, but looked back down at Medli's desperate face staring down at the paper as if it had been her last hope. It probably had been. "Sorry," he mumbled.

"No," she said, standing with fatigue that Link suspected wasn't entirely just from a bad night's rest. "No, don't be. I'll be leaving now, then. I just wanted..." Her eyes lifted, searched the ceiling, then slid down to her feet. "Just wanted the truth," she admitted.

Well, he gave her credit for trying.

She left the paper and pencil where they were, resting at the edge of the bars; she bowed again for formality rather than respect, and slipped away down the hall and through the door. Resting on the paper was the key to Link's cell.

* * *

After he'd unlocked his cell; after he'd crept through the hallway without a moment's look back at Emit-Link's cell; after he'd snuck past the sleeping guard outside: that was when he slid into a room that he could only guess was the room the Ritos had given Kid-Link. There was a bed, a cabinet, and a window… not much else. The moonlight streamed through the window to darken the hills and valleys of the sheets, which lay stretched lazily along the floor. The bed was empty, and furthermore the mattress smooth, lacking the telltale depression of a body and lingering warmth of a bed recently vacated. No, Kid-Link had never been here.

Link didn't know why the sheets were on the floor, but he picked them up, shook them, examined them with an eye that only appeared to know far more than he really did about clean sheets, especially in the silvery coating of the moon discoloring everything. He put them on the bed, tucking the edges neatly under the edges, lining the corners up, smoothing the creases out first, then the nonexistent ones just to be extra, extra sure.

He figured that if he wanted this to be legitimate-looking as possible, he should do this properly and play the scene out, both mentally and physically. One, he supposed, would grab the Other—from where, exactly? Was One in a rush, or could he take his sweet time pick and choose?

One was probably somewhere in a direct line between the bed and the door in his approach, he decided. The Other was in the bed, sleeping, of course, the sheets tucked nicely around him. Did One pull the sheets off first, or just go for the Other? The latter, probably. And then for dramatic (and evidence) purposes, something would go wrong, the Other would make a huge fuss...

Link seized the sheets and yanked on it, scrunching it up into one big unsightly wrinkle, then twisted the top half over to form some sort of hourglass shape. Maybe One's legs were flailing? He smacked the pillow lightly for an obvious-looking dent in the middle where the head should have been lying before the drama, then shoved it onto the floor with the back of his hand with forced carelessness, concerning himself with making the mattress appear as lumpy as he could. Then he pulled the mattress out just a little, so it was skewed from its place on the bedframe.

The Other had put up quite a fight, Link mused as he surveyed the scene. Then One had to drag the Other out the door—dragging the sheets with him? Link grabbed one end and walked backwards a few feet, letting the fabric spill over the edge.

But there was one thing missing.

So he unwrapped the bandage around his hand, letting the fabric slip from his palm, and dropped it casually by the doorway as he left. He closed the door only halfway, carefully aligning it just so, and he paused in the doorway to watch the Triforce symbol ripple under his skin. It looked almost pleased. If hands could look pleased, that is.

"You know," Midna remarked, "guilt is considered an honorable emotion among the Twili."

Link said nothing.

After he'd unlocked his cell; after he'd crept through the hallway without a moment's look back at Emit-Link's cell; after he'd snuck past the sleeping guard outside; after he'd slid into Kid-Link's room and set up the evidence of his supposed kidnapping; that was when he finally stepped outside into the chilly night air and found Kid-Link waiting in the shallow tide of the sea.

* * *

"What took you?" was the first thing out of his mouth, and he sounded a little harsher than he'd intended from the gnawing fear and cold.

"Whaddaya mean, 'What took you'?" Reoh retorted. "How long do _you_ think it's supposed to take to break out of jail?"

"You had a key…" But the end of his sentence trailed off; there wasn't any venom in his tone, just a deep-rooted need to be _gone_ from here as fast as he could. He scuffed the wet sand that had built around his feet with the toe of his boot. "Where's… Emit?"

"Presumably back in his cell," said Reoh.

Reoh was, as Link could see now, a young man of sixteen or seventeen, standing tall and straight with something that wasn't so much pride or confidence as it was absolute determination to do what he thought best, to the best of his ability. But his head was bowed, leaning to the other side of clarity, face tilted away from the light of the moon and eyes lidded to a languid squint. Wide enough to see through; not wide enough to see everything through, nor enough to be seen into. It was the first time Link had seen him without his mask, and the lower half seemed to complete the unfinished picture of Reoh's expression.

Link couldn't be sure in the moonlight, but he thought that Reoh looked almost naturally fair-skinned, with a certain ruddy quality from the sun. He could have had a soft face, Link thought. A kind face. A face with firm lines that slid along the sides into a soft, set chin and smile, framing bright eyes. A clear face. But everything there was harsh, sharp in a jagged, graceless way. Sharp, hard, and clouded.

He'd heard that Emit didn't have his mask anymore, either. He'd never get to see Emit's face.

His eyebrows twisted upwards as his teeth bit back a stutter. He chose his words and repeated them in his head, remembering the syllables to shape in his mouth and how to speak them with an unwavering voice. And even then, his voice was quiet: "Let's go," was all he said, because if he didn't go now, he might never leave.

Before Link turned away, sympathy was the first emotion Link saw on Reoh's maskless face.

* * *

But this island, this small snippet of life, with all the blood, strife, and (no matter how selfless, still selfish) lies, wasn't done with them yet.

* * *

So Link took one step backwards, eyes fixed on the kid unraveling the ropes and stringing them through appropriate nooses and pulleys, securing knots where he should and re-securing them where he could. Link took a second step; the silver eye of the moon illuminated the tips of the waves and the back of Kid-Link's head, and only a few rays leaked through the curtain of his hair. A third step; beside the kid, the boat opened his mouth again, only to be met with a shake of his head like before.

Link disappeared into the shadow of the tunnel, turned, and came nose-to-nose with his own face.

Emit-Link's expression remarkably resembled a statue's as Link backed away, exposing his surprise at the other's unwelcome closeness to the light, then ducked back into grey and circled around further away from the boat.

"I need to tell you something," murmured Emit-Link.

It should have been Emit-Link demanding _Link_ to tell him something, not the other way around, and that alone made him suspicious. After a moment's hesitation, he nodded further into the tunnel, and they broke into a silent walk, for once in time with each other.

There, on the far side of the island, was where they stopped. There was no moon on this side. The shadow of the island stretched out far across the ocean. The only light streamed from the tunnel, and both stood out of its reach; but the mists of it reached just the edges of Emit-Link's face, and the frame of his face and shoulder were highlighted in silver. The rest of him—his dirty clothes, tangled hair, clenched fists—faded away. Between the shoulder and the face, Link's eyes stayed firmly fixed on his shoulder.

Emit-Link took a breath, and Link tried so hard not to flinch. "I don't know what's going on," Emit-Link began, then held up a hand before Link could speak. "I don't know, but right now, I don't care."

Suspicion glossed over Link's expression, curling his lips into a scowl.

But Emit-Link's eyes (or what he could dared see from his peripheral vision) were as strong Link had ever seen them, clear with newfound purpose—a tangible, reachable _goal_ to work for. "They took Navi," he said softly.

"…Oh," said Link.

The other nodded. "And I'm going to get her back," he declared, voice low and firm.

There were so many things Link could have said. He was so _serious_ right now, and it was Navi, the fairy who'd left him—it would have been too easy. But in the end, all he did was lift his head with all the mockery he could muster and reply, "You better not be asking for _my_ help."

"I'm not. But—" The waves slid smoothly along the shore, a silent _shhh_ in the background that Emit-Link's gaze darted towards and back. "But I have to find her. And you're—both of you, the kid too—you're leaving."

"Yeah."

"You're leaving _now_," he emphasized. "But right _now_, I..." He paused. "I _will_ find Navi."

"I know."

"Then wait for me," he asked. "Wait for me until dawn—just dawn. And if I'm late, leave without me."

(He was always late, Link thought. Late to save Hyrule from Ganon. Late to save Termina from Majora's Mask. Late to save Saria from lonely years sitting on a tree stump deep in the Lost Woods.

Life had stopped for him then, and waited for him, would have waited for him until he died and then some—until forever, perhaps.

But life wasn't supposed to wait. When life waited, it began to die, and even though it would wait for the Hero of Time until the world wasted away, that didn't mean that it would survive.)

* * *

CH37 END

_A/N: …Well, hell. I have no idea if I can restart this thing so long after its last update. I passed the one-year mark at chapter thirty-five, and since then the story's passed it's two-year mark. It's likely that of the people who've bothered to read this chapter (and I'm not banking on the number of people reading being particularly high, mind you) have forgotten everything, since I forgot quite a bit myself. _

_But due to some _amazing_ people who've managed to keep reviewing and reading so long after the last update—you know who you are—I finally managed to get up off my ass and wrap up this arc. Plus, I managed to get my head on straight and re-read the whole thing (all 36 of them) as well as the reviews (all 338 of them), and decided that I should give this another spin. So the story's not what I want it to be, and I've made mistakes, but I don't have to scrap the whole thing. (Unless you disagree.)_

_Alternatively, if you don't like my sob story of demotivation, you can blame the Chieftain and Navi. I literally rewrote that scene five times. No joke. I can show you the rough drafts. The scenes ranged from creeper-Navi to the Chieftain winning the award for Worst Father to plain, petty schoolgirl fighting._

_So even if it's too late, here's to a second chance anyway._

_…Holy carp, did that last line of my author's note just dramatically complement the chapter? Oh ho. Oh ho ho ho. Oh ho ho ho ho ho ho._


	38. Dawn, pt 2

_A/N: I can't believe people actually reviewed. There's people still reading this story after all this time, and they reviewed. Dear lord, the sky is falling._

_If I didn't respond to your review, I apologize; I intended to reply to everybody, but I never got around to it. Just know that I love you so, so much. And that our wedding is next March. I also apologize for the outrageously long time it took for me to write this chapter and the shortness of the chapter itself that adds salt to the wound._

_Last thing: Hyrule Historia just completely destroyed all sorts of stuff in this fic. I have all sorts of non-theory-and-slightly-philosophical issues with Nintendo making theories canon, anyway (yet I _keep fangirling over it anyway, goshdarnit_), so I guess iiiiiiiiiiit's retconning time!_

_Last last thing: I gave up on the chapter partway through editing. Have fun wading through this one._

* * *

Somewhere along the way, Link found himself with a plan. It wasn't the best plan, or even a good plan. It's only merit, he knew, was that it would work. At the time, that was the only merit that counted.

Yet while he had faith that it would work, there were only two solid aspects to his plan: the first being escape, and the second being the conditions of Navi's rescue. The first was… disagreeable. He'd never liked them. Ever since the very first one, he'd never liked them. He hadn't used them since he'd left Termina—not so much from fear of them and where they'd come from—although he supposed that would be logical—but simply from their "disagreeable" nature. What they did was disagreeable. What they represented what disagreeable. What he'd set out to do on the journey that accidentally brought him to Termina, and by extension what he'd failed to do, was disagreeable. They were not his last resort, nor some hidden fear of his, or anything quite so official or important. They were simply… disagreeable.

As for the second aspect—well. He'd never liked them, either. He could even say he found them disagreeable. But that was a natural effect of Reoh-Link breaking his nose on sight.

Logically, he justified leaving Reoh-Link and Midna behind in all sorts of ways—he worked better solo; the job required only one man; neither one would accept his help; Reoh-Link didn't know what stealth was even though it'd been living in his shadow and somewhat helping, somewhat manipulating him to save two connected kingdoms for several months. But the bottom line was something not quite as clear-cut as Link—or anybody—would have liked; and he understood this fact, accepted it, and filed it away.

He would, he promised himself, come back for them, and that was comfortably clear-cut. He just needed to find Navi first.

So he slid his borrowed fingers through the bars, grasping the metal and pulling it apart. It was almost frightening, how weak the bars were compared to a Goron's strength. He barely heard the screech of protest from the metal. And when he was done, he sat back and admired his handiwork, wondering if he should smooth out the fingerprints in the metal. As it was, it looked… violent. If he fiddled with it a little, the bent bars could smooth into something resembling a parted curtain.

He left it like that. He removed the mask, stepping easily through the bars with his smaller frame, and surveyed the long, dark hall of empty cells. At the end, the worn, beaten door stood alone. He took a step towards it, then another, as if daring the door to make a run for it.

He was past halfway down the hallway when his body realized the door was opening. His foot twisted in midstep to circle around, centering his balance; his left hand twitched towards a sword on his back that wasn't there; his other hand grasped the hilt of his sword buried in his bag; and there was a Deku nut already flying. His eyes shut just as the flash exploded like a tangible force.

When Link's eyes opened again, the guard was falling through the door, and Link took three great leaps to catch the Rito's thin shoulders before he hit the floor. For a terrible second he thought the poor Rito was dead, with his wide red eyes open and staring straight out in front of him—but no, he was breathing, even if the birdlike frame under his hands was limp enough to pass as an oversized doll. Link snapped his fingers in front of the guard's face, but he wasn't responding at all—which should have been a good thing if Link hadn't been so afraid he'd put the poor thing in a coma.

"I'm sorry," he mumbled under his breath. "I'm sorry."

Nobody, in Link's experience, reacted that badly to Deku nuts, and it suddenly struck him how frail people were.

Which, he was sorry to say, didn't quite stop him. As soon as he'd found the right pressure points and felt the Rito go completely limp, he dragged the poor guard to a cell two down from Reoh-Link's and shut it, not quite sure if it automatically locked without a key. He felt like some sort of jailer, standing outside these cells with the unconscious Rito in one and dazed Reoh-Link half-conscious in the other. Midna was shuddering in the corner from the light flash, single eye shut tight and one hand clutching the ground, seeking stability; and Link hovered briefly in front of the bars in sympathy.

It'd been a mistake.

* * *

"Excuse me for prying, but my opinion has not changed."

"Excuse… me…?"

Quill, the Chieftain, and probably even the fairy looked up and at the small girl in the open doorway, seeming very small and exhausted but distinctly triumphant. Skett and Akoot stood beside her, somewhat sheepishly. "Our deepest apologies, sir," said Skett, "but she insisted. Didn't she, Akoot?"

"Rather forcefully," agreed Akoot.

"It's urgent," said Medli, both forcefully and urgently.

The Chieftain's gaze traveled from Medli back down to the fairy, and for once his thoughts were clearly displayed: As urgent as Medli's matter was, there were likely more urgent matters to be addressing. But he said, "Come in, Medli," and with a gesture, signaled for Skett and Akoot to close the door behind her.

She stood as tall as a young girl of her age could, her chin only barely reaching over the Chieftain's desk, but strangely she managed something of the gracefulness Komali's grandmother had carried as she sunk into a low, practiced bow. It was quietly startling; Quill had never seen even a ghost of the strength Komali's grandmother had possessed. "My apologies, Chieftain," she said as she straightened. "It's a letter from Link."

Long ago—that is, yesterday—the Chieftain himself had sent a letter through Medli to Link, who then carried it to Komali. If the Chieftain saw the connection, he showed no sign, and simply remarked, "He couldn't see me himself?"

"No, sir; circumstances wouldn't allow," replied Medli. "I apologize on his behalf." She pulled the letter out of her dress pocket, but when the Chieftain held out his hand, she hesitated. "Sir, the contents of this letter are… not to be taken lightly," she said. "It wouldn't be wise to have so many people with knowledge its contents."

"Certainly," replied the Chieftain. He picked the cork up off the desk, motioned for Quill to hand him the bottle, and then replaced the cork.

Medli's eyes flicked to Quill. "…Um."

"If I do not wish for Quill to know the contents of the letter, I will not show him," said the Chieftain. "For now, he is to stay here."

The confused look didn't vanish from Medli's expression, and she hesitated. The letter beneath her fingers crinkled under the pressure.

"Quill is not a part of the police force, nor is he a postman of any high ranking. He is a third party," said the Chieftain. "And third parties are surprisingly formidable, child."

She glanced at him one last time, but her arm slowly extended to relent the letter. The Chieftain slid a finger through the opening once, and the paper ripped apart cleanly. As he unfolded the letter, Medli ducked her head and told him, "Again, I apologize for Link's inability to come himself. There are other matters he had to confront."

"You've apologized twice, and the opening lines of the letter are yet another apology for the same matter," the Chieftain pointed out, something of a humorous, yet definitively tired, hint in his voice.

"It's a very urgent matter," explained Medli. "We both agree this conversation should have been done in person."

"Is that so?" The Chieftain lowered his gaze slowly to the paper, and there was a long, expectant silence as his eyes flicked back and forth through the letter. In less than a minute he handed the paper to Quill without a word and sat back in his chair. Taking the cue, Quill peeled back the folded top half to read the opening lines:

_I apologize for not being able to say this in person, but preparations had to be made—and if it doesn't work out, that's fine, they can be called off. Please, keep in mind that all the preparations I've already done can be called off and/or undone, and that I'm sincerely asking for your permission to proceed._

_I also apologize for throwing all this on you, because it's dangerous, and I hate putting other people in danger when I could just do it myself. It's just terribly unfair to you. I should be doing this by myself._

_And lastly, I apologize for the things that can be called off, but not undone._

The rest was very urgent indeed.

* * *

First floor. First room was locked. Second room contained a guest room. Third room had voices of Ritos inside; from overheard irrelevant conversation, chances of Navi being inside were close to nothing. Fourth room was also locked. Fifth room had four pots and nothing else.

Second floor. First room was storage. Second room was a mail sorting room. Third room locked. Fourth room contained uniforms for postmen. Fifth room was another mail sorting room. Sixth room was locked.

Third floor. First floor locked. Second door locked.

Noise from upper floors; back to ground floor and dungeons. Rito guard was still not moving. All other cells empty.

_All other cells empty._

Exit room. Guards posted on floors one and above. Back outside to ground floor, noted that there are several doors on the ground floor. With guard change, too risky to investigate now. Outside Rito Hall altogether.

Back to the beach.

* * *

_I'm sorry. I'm sorry._

* * *

"Wait for me until dawn—just dawn. And if I'm late, leave without me."

Reoh-Link's lips twisted into a distrustful frown, but his jaw was moving in a way that Link knew he was chewing the corner of his bottom lip. But instead of replying, he said, "That light flash before—that was a Deku nut, wasn't it? That's when you escaped."

It wasn't so much a question as it was an accusation, and Link nodded. "It was a mistake. There was a guard who heard the noise, and I didn't want to hurt him."

"But you escaped before I did," Reoh-Link pressed.

"Were you expecting me to help you do the same?"

He stiffened. "I was expecting you to offer," he said tartly, "because it's something you would do. Not because I needed it."

Link glanced towards the long shadow of the island, displeased at the words he was speaking. "I was trying to find Navi, and I thought it best to do it alone. I was chased out by the guard change before I could find her.

"But believe me, I was going to go back for you if you didn't get out yourself," he said, gaze returning firmly to Reoh-Link's half-faded face. "I wouldn't have left you there."

There was a note of finality that left no room for argument, and Reoh-Link scowled in earnest now. He turned away, tilting his head up to study the dark sky almost thoughtlessly. For a second, Link thought he would simply walk away; but then his gaze snapped back over his shoulder and he gave the space over Link's left shoulder a steely glare. The defeated irritation in his expression spoke before he did.

"Until dawn," he agreed. "I'll wait until dawn."

* * *

_I'm sorry. I'm sorry._

* * *

Three hours—that was all the time he had before dawn. He needed to locate Navi, find a way to rescue her, and then get back to the boat.

He knew that she was with the Rito authorities. But rather than simply check every place where Rito guards might be (which was a bad idea for obvious reasons), he lurked outside, scratching together a battle plan on the beach with his finger, using pictures and symbols he simply memorized the meanings of as he went since he'd always been mediocre at writing at best. But he had a grand total of not much to work with, with even less time, and even less tolerance with the thought of Navi in a bottle somewhere, so he wound up twirling his finger in the sand until he'd dug a fairly decent-sized hole. The symbolism was not lost on him.

Then he thought: the Rito prince had been injured. Navi was a fairy, albeit one that couldn't heal. Banking on luck and the assumption that they didn't know she was a guardian fairy, the prince was probably at the medic room, and Navi might be there with him. It was a starting point.

He had two hours and fifty minutes.

He tried not to slink into the hall, because slinking was something he'd come to associate with Reoh-Link. Instead, he kept his back straight, his head high, and peered around the corner into the deserted hall with the least slinkiness as possible. But in the end, Link had no choice but to move as quietly as he could to the far side of the hall, keeping an eye on the guards posted on the higher floors, and that was slinking no matter how straight his back was. If slinking got him to the medic room safely, however, he couldn't really complain, and with that he opened the first door he saw.

To his surprise, he was right in one. But it was empty, save the Rito prince on the bed, breathing shallowly with his legs covered with a light blanket.

Link wouldn't have gone further than the door if he hadn't been determined to scour the room completely. The air in the room felt… bad. There wasn't any other way of putting it. It was nasty on his skin, seeping through the constant layer of salt from the ocean and dungeon grime. It was ugly and sour and, if Link wanted to be blunt about it, dead. In the loosest sense of the word, since in Link's experience, there were an unfortunately high number of _types_ of dead.

He loped as quietly as he could into the room, checking everywhere he could for a bottle or a blue light, poking where he could when absolutely sure he wasn't going to make anything crash, explode, or make a similarly loud noise. He was going to be quick, he told himself; he couldn't afford to spend so much time in a place where Navi wasn't, but at the same time he had to make sure that he didn't miss her in his haste. The beds lined up neatly on one side were all empty except for the prince's, and the cabinets on the other side were filled with equipment that was probably useful to a doctor, but was very much not to Link.

The search of the room turned up empty. He had two hours and thirty-five minutes.

He cast the young prince lying in the dead air a sympathetic glance, but he had better places to be. Silently, he slunk out of the medic room, eyed the ramp, and wondered how far up he could get without being noticed by the posted guard. Certainly not further than any of the rooms he'd managed to reach previously.

Trapped to the ground floor's corners by the guard posted on the higher levels, he prowled in the safety of the corner shadows, knowing that he was doing nothing when he should have been doing something and there was nothing he could do about doing nothing. He had two hours left when he left Rito Hall completely to look for a window to crawl through.

There were, in fact, no windows to crawl through. Or rather, there were windows, but they were too high up, and any handholds he found on the mountain face didn't extend up to the steeper, smoother parts of the mountain. He ended up at the spring, barely sparing the water's surface a glance as he paced a rut in the dirt, and realized all at once that if he didn't get his thoughts in order, he'd be no better off than if he was back in his cell. He might as well walk back there himself and get to work smoothing out those bars he'd ruined. And neither Navi nor a solution to this misunderstanding were waiting in that cell.

He had one hour and fifty minutes left when he made his second interesting discovery of the night.

Although it wasn't much of a discovery, as he would have been blind to miss it; the dark waters surrounding the faint glow in the water had the same effect night did on torchlight. Link stood on the water's edge staring at this light in the seamless water, studying the way its light rippled from underneath, floating just below the surface.

Strange, certainly.

But he'd found help in stranger places before.

Two minutes later, he emerged from the spring with a glass sphere about the size of his head, a soft orange glow—no, aura—from somewhere deep inside, hovering under the outer shell like it had never emerged from the water. He shivered under his soaked shirt, uncomfortably cold in the night air, and traced the symbols on the surface of the glass with a finger to confirm his suspicion that it was comfortably warm despite the chill.

No matter what he did with it, it was nothing more than glass. Magic, of course. But nothing he could use to save Navi. With a frown, he sat side-by-side with whatever the thing was at the edge of the spring, like it was a person to share company and time with, and watched the slightest breeze blow ripples barely outlined in white by the moon. It just sat there in the dirt, doing nothing but drying the last drops of moisture from its surface and glowing. It reminded him of Navi, in a very abstract and illogical way. Maybe he just missed her, because the comparison made no sense. Navi wasn't ever that quiet, anyway.

(What does a man cling to as he drowns?)

The sphere maintained its silence when Link looked down in the water and, with sudden clarity, found himself with not so much a second plan as he did determination to keep going despite the lack of one. It was foolhardiness, he recognized from a distance, but he'd be lying if he said that he didn't think it'd, for once, work. There was no doubt in his mind that he would have her back, regardless of whatever scabs might linger.

When he stood again, he had one hour and twenty-five minutes. He felt better, though. He found himself with a strange new liking to the glass sphere, whatever it was, and it found itself a place in his bag.

The strange and significantly less-panicked mood lasted with him back inside the gloomy Hall, and he surveyed the area with clearer eyes. Start at the beginning, he told himself. He needed to get past the guard, and there were ways to do that without charging him with a sword. He had a shield and bottles and, if worst came to worst, the masks. He could do something with that, and if he couldn't, then there were places he could get things he could do something with.

The medic room, for instance.

* * *

_I'm sorry. I'm sorry._

* * *

It was because he was rummaging in the furthest cabinet in said medic room that he didn't hear the footsteps coming down the ramp until they were almost at the door. But with three seconds to hide, he merely looked at the door, swiped a metal tool at random, and slid himself behind a bed on the far side of the room. He was quite comfortable there, actually. When the two pairs of feet padded into the room, he merely tilted his head to examine the shoes, picking out first the long robe covering what he guessed were well-made, practical pair of slippers, and the pair of bandaged feet (talons?) beside them. Link thought back, recalling with some difficulty from his mental notes that a majority of the Rito population wore bandages place of shoes. More specifically, postmen.

"This is him," said a voice, and Link frowned just listening to the stern tone.

There was a long silence that stretched afterwards, and Link wondered if the man was talking to himself, or if his conversation partner was simply unwilling to reply. He had one hour and fifteen minutes, Link guessed, and frowned. If this visit was going to last a while, it would be a problem. His confident determination—so strong at the beginning, worn down in a matter of an hour, then haphazardly restored—was already beginning to fray, and panicking wasn't something Link was keen on.

Then: "I'm sorry."

The suddenness of her clear, high voice was like a splash of freezing water to the face. In the darkness under the bed, Link blinked, willing his hands not to clench. Navi was here. In this room. Right now. He'd actually found her—or rather, she'd found him, but that was besides the point.

"For what?" asked the first voice.

"For your son's… situation," said Navi, a quiet glimmer of genuine sorrow in her voice. "And for not being able to help. I wish I could."

There was a pause, and when the voice spoke again, Link could hear some measure of forced thoughtfulness in it. "You have stated that because you are a… guardian fairy, you cannot heal my son without dying. Is that correct?"

"Yes," said Navi, in a tired voice that implied they'd been through this already.

"And that there is a method—albeit an invalid one—that would support this claim."

"Trust me," said Navi. "It wouldn't do anything for the situation if you knew."

"Still."

"It wouldn't do anything!" Navi repeated.

"What harm," asked the voice stiffly, "could possibly come from simply stating your reasons?"

"Plenty," retorted Navi. "Just because you don't know what they are, doesn't mean that they aren't valid."

There was a silence that ceded her point more clearly than words. At length, the voice sighed, "I've never seen another fairy as adverse to healing as you."

"Other fairies don't have reasons not to, which, if I may repeat, are valid regardless if you know them or not."

Fabric shifted as the feet slid, stopped, then walked out of Link's tiny rectangle of sight. The voice sounded defeated, certainly, but somehow all the more determined for it. "We shall continue this conversation at a later time," the voice said. One battle's victory wouldn't decide the war, and neither would one battle's loss.

* * *

_I'm sorry. I'm sorry_.

Under Rito Hall in the dungeons, one Rito guard (Basht, Bisht's sibling counterpart) lay motionless on the cell floor. He couldn't move, nor blink, nor speak—yet.

_I'm sorry. I'm sorry_.

But he could hear and he could see, and sometimes that's more than enough.

* * *

"Wait!"

The rustle of the fabric stilled, almost too quickly.

"It's selfish of me," said Navi softly. "I'm sorry. I should never have mentioned any method; not when I didn't intend to admit what it was to anybody—not you, or Quill, or my ward, or even myself. I," and she paused, her voice trailing, "act only in the best interests of myself and those I love—"

"So does everybody else," said the voice, and there was a creak and a breath of air as the door shut.

"I'm sorry," she repeated, like a mantra worn and old.

* * *

_I'm sorry._

Basht's eye twitched, and his fingers began to move. In his hand was a pocketknife, standard-issue and a gift from his brother. To keep him safe, or so Bisht said.

_I'm sorry._

He apologized to Bisht quietly in his head, below the determination that willed his arm forward, for abusing his knife. Then, with growing strength, he gripped the metal and struck the bars of the cell.

* * *

Link leaned out from behind the bed, taking stock of the situation: a Rito holding Navi, his back turned towards Link, standing at the prince's bedside and inadvertently blocking the doorway. No matter how he sliced it, stealth didn't seem to be an option… Unless he used another mask, which he wasn't really keen on; he'd done perfectly well without them for all these years, and he didn't intend to make them his crutch. He twirled the metal tool he'd taken earlier (and still hadn't bothered to identify) between his fingers, staring at a single nick in the stone floor.

And that was when the clanging began.

It was the unmistakable sound of metal clashing against metal, but unlike that sleek sound of a drawn sword or the crisp violence of swordplay, there was something desperately alarming about the unsteady, graceless rhythm. Link's head shot up, and he dared a peek around the edge of the bed to see the Rito's turned towards the door like a startled bird. One hand was reaching for the doorknob; the other clutched a bottle of blue light.

Link's eyes narrowed as he shot up from behind the bed without thinking. If the postman took Navi with him, then—Link didn't even know if there was a "then." He was _this_ close to getting her back. Why in the name of Hyrule would he let her out of his grasp again? His feet were moving before he realized it, faster and faster, and by the time the Rito turned around Link was too close to stop.

"You—" said the Rito, and by some unfortunate instinct, tucked the bottle under his arm and turned away to protect it.

The clanging was louder, more insistent, and there were voices outside in the hall. Faint and distinctly distant, but still there.

"You've come back for her," stated the Rito, sternly, as if it were an admonishment. "Even though you had a chance to escape."

Link didn't stop. The Rito began to back away. Observant as the Rito may have been, he was a postman, not a fighter.

"I'm sorry," Link said, and he meant it; but he still didn't slow down. "But I need her back."

The Rito's heel hit the wall, and with a quick glance, he realized that he'd been backing up not towards the door, but the wall adjacent. Grit scratched under Link's foot as he slid himself to bar the door in one fluid move. Just as swiftly, the postman squared his shoulders and stood his ground, Navi still hidden in the folds of his sleeves. Link could only see one sliver of light under the fabric, and for one frozen second he thought he saw Navi's wings beating against the relentless glass.

Then the Rito shifted again, cloth fell over the sliver that was Navi, and the postman said, "I cannot allow you to take this fairy. The Chieftain… The prince needs her."

_I act only in the best interests of—_

"And I will do my best to stop you from taking this fairy if I must," said the postman.

Link's eyebrows rose, and he ducked his head, unsure if he was hiding a smile or a frown. It felt somewhat ridiculous, to be threatened by a postman; but Link paused and carefully picked apart what was fact and what was arrogance from the notion, and eventually decided that even thought it was, ultimately, still ridiculous, it was no less a difficult situation.

Because once, long time ago, Link sprained his ankle running in the Kokiri Forest. He'd been running alone, at the edge of the Lost Woods. It'd been Mido who found him. Idiot, Mido had taunted, dancing just out of Link's reach. Clumsy, oafish fairyless, doesn't even have a fairy to run back and tell the rest of the Kokiri where he was. Where was Saria now to stand up for him? Where was he going to run when Mido ground his face into the dirt? And when Mido was done with his jeering and sneering, he ran off and said that he'd leave Link there to rot, or turn into a Stalchild; whichever came first.

To the Kokiri, it was always innocent before proven guilty. Trusted until shown a liar. Loved until warped, beaten, twisted to be hated.

Five minutes later, Fado came to find him. "I heard that you were injured," she said. But after she'd pulled him to his feet, he asked where she heard it from, and she looked away with her usual stare and smile and said, "A shrubbery told me. You know, the one outside the shop? It grew a mouth and told me that there might have been a fairyless idiot around here with a twisted ankle. If you know what I mean."

_I act only in—_

"I'm sorry," he said. "I act only in the best interests of everyone."

The second Deku nut of the night fell, but no matter how many times Link apologized, it still never felt right.

* * *

That was how he found himself running through the night air towards the beach, empty bottle in his hand and Navi's glow mostly muffled in his pocket, her high voice mumbling "Oh sweet Nayru" over and over. The hum of Rito wings flapping was soft and distant, but no less harsh and no less insistent, and it competed with the hum of the ocean for the dominant white noise. He wondered, vaguely, how it'd gone from house arrest to a jail cell in the first place—he'd been so concerned about Navi that he realized he'd never bothered to wonder what had happened, or what the uproar was about. Dark shapes littered the sky, pouring out from the light studding the great mountain, and Link somehow found it in himself to feel bad for them—like he should be fixing whatever misunderstanding had taken place. He was leaving this island to its chaos. Even if he only had forty-five minutes until dawn, and there was a world to save, a sister to rescue, an evil to defeat, Link remembered that a long time ago, he didn't believe in justification.

What bothered him more was that they'd taken his mask, and his mask had been, unfortunately, his hat.

He stopped at the edge of the tunnel and glanced upwards. The Ritos were still mostly on the other side of the island, where it was more logical to hide, and he only glimpsed a few shadows moving against the night clouds. He took his chances and, somewhat by feel and somewhat by squinting in the moonlight, bolted across the ledge and slid down the rock face to a small niche in the side of the mountain. Link could feel Navi flinch through the fabric at the gritty noise the rock face made against his bare skin, and he didn't dare check his palm for scratches.

Feeling overly paranoid, he leaned out of his small crevice and checked the sky again. Somehow, nobody had seen him illuminated by Navi's glow, and with that he knew the battle was already halfway over. He had thirty-five minutes left until dawn—the kid and Reoh-Link would still be there. If he simply rounded the corner and ran that last stretch of beach, he'd get to the boat, and then it would be up to how fast Kid-Link could get them off the island and over the horizon. So he dove out from under his cover and sprinted across the wet sand; and just for a moment the air was rushing around him, through and against him as he made the last dash under the moon's watchful stare and the Ritos swarming the sky. With Navi at his side.

And then all of it disappeared—the wind, the deafening noise in his ears, the smile on his face he hadn't realized was there. It was just him, Navi, and the ocean.

"Link?" asked Navi. "What's wrong?" She glanced at the endless sea, the silhouettes of waves sliding over the cold sand. "Link, why are we stopping?" She hovered over his shoulder, light dimming and shifting in worry. But he simply looked at her, the empty beach, the footprints on the sand that yet to wash away, the hollow ground where the boat had been, and said nothing at all.

There was nothing to say to the space where an apology should have been.

* * *

CH38 END

_A/N: At least I might be able to get the next chapter up faster because it has less awkward Navi in it and goddammit Navi why are you so hard to wriiiiiiite._


	39. Here And There

_A/N: Every time I think I can write, real life smacks me in the face. Without. Fail._

_Also, I pinkie promise—cross my heart and hope to die, eat a thousand needles if I lie—that I will explain everything that happened on Dragon Roost. Be patient with my inner drama mama llama, please?_

* * *

Kid-Link lurked in the only way that one could lurk on a boat no wider than five feet: by receding into his own self, closing the shutters and locking the door behind him. He was there, somewhere, in some form or another, but Link could not _see_ him. There was little Link could do, stifled by Kid-Link's vacant aura, and watched in a rare display of passive silence as that same pale aura drained the life out of not only the boy himself, but Link, the boat, and even the wind around them.

"You're not exactly charming today either, wolf-boy," Midna remarked.

"I know," he agreed.

"Not much in a mood to fight, are you?"

"He had all the food," Link replied, somewhat subdued and not really caring that he was proving Midna's point.

"Excuse me?"

"Him," said Link, like there was only one "him" in the whole world. Because there kind of was.

"Oh," said Midna, sounding amused. "Well, we could always eat the kid." She paused, then tilted her head. "Ah, right. Can't."

"At least one of us is having fun," muttered Link. Midna merely laughed that infuriating giggle of hers, and then she was gone. Link rolled his eyes. Old habits died hard, and it was obviously an old habit to rub salt in every wound she could find. It was not yet Link's old habit to return the favor.

Either way, she was not helping the fact that they were on a tiny little triangle island with only a boat, a boy who both was and wasn't there, and an ugly statue for company. They were lacking food that wasn't a month old, fresh water, and any means to buy either one because they'd left the only person who wasn't broke on the last island.

When Link handed over the half-empty bottle of soup he'd had lying somewhere between his Clawshots and the Dominion Rod, he tried his best not to make it look like an apology. But from the way Kid-Link shook his head and leaned against the ugly statue, eyes unmoving from the invisible line between the blue sky and the blue sea, it didn't seem to have worked.

* * *

Even though Emit was back on Dragon Roost, he was still present. As they sailed in silence and Dragon Roost fell back into the sky, it was like there were three people in the cockpit instead of two. Link would check the rudder and catch a glimpse of two people across from him and look up, alarmed, to see only Reoh leaning against the mast; Link would adjust the mainsheet and see blonde hair from around the sail and do a doubletake, expecting Emit's face to study him from the other side.

Or maybe it wasn't that Emit was here, but that Link was still back there.

* * *

"Reoh," the King of Red Lions began. "As you can see, I am but a boat."

Link paused, then nodded, moving closer to listen properly.

"As such, I'm limited to the water. The affairs that occur on land are, sadly, beyond my power."

Link nodded again.

"So I must ask you," the King of Red Lions said, "what exactly happened on that island?"

Link hesitated, then gave an apologetic shrug. "Some affairs that occur on land are beyond my power, too."

* * *

In the safety of Dragon Roost Cavern, where none of the Ritos had bothered to think Link might hide, he came to a room littered with broken pots and dead Bokoblins. He remembered this room: it was one of those rooms that didn't reopen until all the enemies were dead, as if the very grounds and doors were hellbent on killing intruders. That was usually how dungeons were, anyhow; never-ending stories of ways to die. He decided that some form of civility would be better than nothing, so after somewhat clearing the debris, sinking the corpses in the lava in the main cavern, and adjusting to the thick smell of decay that had bled into the humid air, he seated himself at the abandoned table, Navi seated herself on the opposite side, and he calmly and methodically informed her of the situation.

"Horrible," she whispered after he was done. "Just horrible."

"Do you think we can fix it?"

"Fix what?"

"The misunderstanding," said Link. "Clearly, the Ritos are misinformed. Do you think we can fix it?"

"I don't know," was her answer, and she shook herself out to splay her wings flat across the table, her light shifting as she made herself comfortable. "I don't know how heavy the evidence is, but I know the weight of the _crime_, and sometimes that in itself is enough to get anybody convicted."

He nodded and began, "Then—" but instead she interrupted so shrilly, so shakily, that Link felt something in his own chest seize: "I don't think it's unintentional, Link."

He leaned over the table, although he wasn't sure if the concern was for himself or for her. "What? Why?"

"Gut feeling."

There was an unimpressed silence.

"You don't trust anybody's gut but your own," she said, clearly miffed.

"I should hope not. It's a very personal thing."

There was a small puff of air, like a cross between a tiny sigh and a pout. "When you asked if I thought we could fix it, you weren't even asking for advice, were you?"

"I was," he said, and then he paused and added, "No, not really."

"We don't know how it happened," Navi pointed out. "To change something, you have to understand it. We don't even know where to begin, and the risks are enormous."

"We used to take risks every day," he replied. (Inwardly, he winced—"we used to"?)

"Don't tell me you can't see the difference between that and this."

He could see the difference perfectly fine. That was a clear-cut battle of good versus evil. This was him versus a misconception, and if he so much as pulled out a sword, civilians who had nothing to do with this would be injured. Running a hand through his dirty hair, Link looked down at the wooden table and admitted, "It just feels wrong to leave a place in chaos like this."

"I'm your guardian fairy," Navi said firmly. "I'm going to do my job as best as I can."

Link wasn't entirely sure if he could believe that, so he just looked away and gave a noncommittal nod, not really to agree but to acknowledge the statement. "So you don't think we can fix it," he said.

"That's…" She trailed away, and her wings seemed to shrink into herself. "No, I… I don't. I'm sorry, Link."

"No, that's fine. I'm going to try anyway," Link said firmly. "It's just rude to leave as the situation stands."

"Link!" she exclaimed, almost angrily, but his expression didn't change, and her flared wings quivered before returning to rest on the tabletop. "…Fine," she sighed. "I can't stop you, can I?"

"No, not really," he replied with a wry smile.

"Well, I can at least make sure you're not going to do something stupid." Her glow brightened sharply, almost like a fairy version of a smile. "Do you have a plan?"

"No."

"…Well, then."

* * *

The sun fell and pulled the temperatures down with it, so Link handed over the ratty old blanket he'd gotten from Telma all those months ago to Kid-Link. He took it with a mumbled "thank you", and an "aren't you going to be cold, Reoh?" and then a "well, if you say so." He curled himself up in the blanket, head bent over a book, fingers thumbing the thick, jagged pages with mindless ease from far too much practice.

Link didn't read much. He was a damn sight better at it than Emit-Link (goddess_damn_, and Link realized at that moment how much he never wanted to hear that name again), but the fact remained that for most of his life, he'd been convinced that he would live out the rest of his days as a rancher, wrangling goats during his afternoon shift and whenever Fado couldn't do his own job properly, taking Epona for a ride whenever he pleased and let no one to tell him otherwise. The most he was expected to write was his own name.

So he'd certainly heard that some people in Hyrule read books for fun, not for study or research or to figure out where the hell you were on the dungeon map, but the concept was still somewhat novel to him. Why anybody would spend their time poring over a book made sense in only the most distant way, having never seen anybody actually do it in Ordon. But if it was Kid-Link, then Link was curious, and he figured curiosity couldn't kill the cat in this particular scenario, so he leaned over the kid's shoulder.

"That's rude," said Kid-Link, and shifted away. Link blinked and straightened. "I mean," the kid added, "that's what Uncle Sturgeon says. He said not to do that."

He kept his eyes down at the book, as if Link wasn't even there, but when he turned the page Link saw the edge of the paper quiver under his touch. Link looked down at the sandy grass, but all he said was: "Oh. Sorry."

Kid-Link nodded. His eyes stopped moving back and forth across the page for a split second, and then they started again and he was gone back behind those shutters and locked doors.

"Well," said Link, scratching the back of his head and squinting at the dark creeping towards the sun in the watery horizon. "Isn't, er, isn't it hard to see in this light?"

"Sort of," replied Kid-Link, and turned the page again.

"Is it good?"

"Hm?"

"The book. Is it good?"

"I don't really know."

Link licked his dry lips. "If you don't know, then why are you reading it?"

Kid-Link shrugged.

"What's it about?"

"I can't tell yet."

"You can't?"

"Story hasn't moved."

"And you're hooked already?"

"Not really."

Link frowned. "Is it that important?"

"Yes," replied Kid-Link immediately, and he glanced up just long enough to convey the genuine shine in his wide eyes. "Oh, yes."

Link waited, then a waited little longer, and finally squared his jaw. One minute later, his lantern planted itself by Kid-Link's foot. He looked up, distantly surprised in the same way he seemed distant about everything. "Oil's hard to come by in the middle of the ocean, and we're going to get up early tomorrow," said Link. "Don't take too long."

Kid-Link smiled and nodded, and sometime later, he turned the page and found he'd reached the chapter marker. Softly, he closed the book and handed the lantern back to Link. "Thanks, Reoh," he said, still distant. Wrinkling his nose at the moldy smell, he wrapped the blanket around himself, letting his eyes slide shut. Link sat some distance away and watched as his breaths deepened with sleep, then pulled out a deck of cards and began to deal.

* * *

Navi suggested to at least wait for two days to let the situation cool, and Link agreed easily to the logic. But only one day after they'd first found refuge in Dragon Roost Cavern, the situation came to them.

Link miraculously heard them coming over the boiling lava and constant shifting and groaning of the rocks, probably because he'd been listening for them constantly, and it made Navi wonder how paranoid he had to be to hear their footsteps in this rackety mountain. They watched the Ritos together from an upper balcony as the group made their way across the suspension bridges, and Navi picked out faces from the three-man squad: one was the girl who had been with the prince when they'd found him in the dungeon; the second Link had never seen before, but wore the uniform of the Rito police force; and the third was a face Navi had seen with surprising frequency—the postman from Outset.

Their intention became clear once they reached the fallen stairs to Valoo's perch on the very top of the mountain, and the two elder Ritos helped the youngest of the trio as they took flight over the gap. Both Navi and Link knew that he wouldn't be able to follow them up the broken stairs, so Navi offered first: "I could follow them," she said, "and listen to what they're saying."

"Don't get caught," he warned.

"Same to you," Navi replied. "They might just fly down the mountain, but if they go back the same way they came, Queen Gohma's room might be a good hiding place."

"They might want to investigate that room while they're at it," Link pointed out. "It is the room with the monster that had been torturing their deity, after all."

"Then the balcony with the grappling hook branch?"

Link thought it over, then nodded. "That would work. I'll wait there. Come back," he added, somewhat forcefully.

"Of course," she promised, recognizing the words for what they were.

So he went to hide, and she zipped up the mountain face and found herself a nice perch on the courtyard gate, where she settled herself snugly. The girl—Medli, Navi vaguely remembered her name being—was already standing in front of Valoo with her arms outstretched and her head bent respectfully, and the dragon in turn lowered his head once in acknowledgement.

"O great Valoo," Medli began, like she was reciting lines from a script, "we, the Rito, seek your guidance in these troubled times."

Valoo nodded again, blinking lazily.

Medli hesitated now, and when she spoke again, her words were uncertain. "There is… a person. His name is Emit." She stopped again, eyes darting back and forth nervously.

"How fluent did she say she was in the old language?" the policeman whispered to the postman. The postman glanced at the flustered Medli, then Valoo, and gave a slight head tilt. What a head tilt meant, Navi had no idea, but for the sake of the mortified girl, she hoped it wasn't anything bad.

"He is… an enemy. And there is a fairy, who could aid the prince. Er… the prince is…" Quickly backtracking, the girl looked down, and Navi spotted a flush of shame creeping up her cheeks. "I apologize, great Valoo. Forgive me my inability. The word…"

So that's what it was, Navi realized. She didn't know the translation for the word "injured." Valoo, from what they understood from previous experience, didn't speak the same language as the residents of the Great Sea—but for some reason, Navi and Link, as well as Midna and the other Link, understood both languages as if they were the same. It was convenient and yet, somehow, rude that somebody—or something—had taken the liberty of smoothing the problem out for them without their consent. Or perhaps that was just Navi being ungrateful.

"Broken," said Medli, having found a word to use as a suitable translation. "He is broken. Here." She gestured to her legs, right below her knees. "To find the person and the fairy, we… humbly ask for your guidance," she finished, the last, most fluent part of her sentence sounding again like a scripted line. At the very least, her professional bow added a note of legitimacy, and the policeman behind her nodded somewhat more approvingly.

Valoo didn't react for a long moment, then slowly tilted his head to one side. "There is nobody, let alone an enemy, on this island with that name," he replied evenly. "And no fairy on this island can help your young prince's situation."

Medli stared blankly at the dragon, then ducked her head in shame.

"There are no people named Emit on this island," the dragon repeated, pronouncing each syllable slowly and clearly, and waited until Medli nodded to signal that she had understood. "There are no fairies that can help your prince on this island."

Her face twisted in confusion, and she turned back to the other two Ritos, but they gave her a blank look, unable to even comprehend her bewilderment. "I… I must have translated that wrong," she mumbled.

"What did he say?" asked the postman softly.

"'There is no person of the name Emit on the island'," she said. "And…"

She didn't complete her sentence, instead opting to twist her fingers together, then face Valoo again with renewed determination and another bow. "There is a fairy on the island," she said. "The fairy is named Navi."

Said fairy shrank back behind the gate and shivered, feeling suddenly that she was much, much too close to Medli for comfort.

"Navi will not heal your prince," said Valoo.

After a moment's pause to work out the sentence, Medli asked softly, "Why, Great Valoo?"

Under his deep, furrowed eyebrows, there seemed to be a tinge of humor in Valoo's eye. "Healing will cost a guardian fairy her life."

Which was exactly what Navi had been trying to tell them the whole time. She sighed, settling herself more comfortably on the gate post, and smiled even as she rolled her eyes. It was frustrating to tell the truth and have nobody believe you—frustrating to the point of insulting for no nameable reason, as she could hardly expect the Ritos to know that she would never lie about something as grave as _this_.

"'A guard fairy will heal at cost of her life'," Medli translated to herself in a mumble, and once again turned around. "I don't understand," she said uncertainly. "What is a 'guard fairy'?"

The policeman shrugged, but the postman stiffened, and Medli turned as he put a hand on her shoulder. "Is that what he called it? A guard fairy?" said the postman.

"Yes…"

"Medli," said the postman, "perhaps we should return to the Chieftain."

"Why? Is it important?"

"Very," replied the postman.

When the Ritos disappeared back to their hall and Navi returned to Link, she was smiling. The opportunity to resolve the misunderstanding that Link had been so set on clearing had finally presented itself.

Of course, that probably wasn't what Link was returning her smile for.

* * *

"I don't know what it was," Basht told his brother, scratching the back of his head. "It was just this, this white light and horrible noise, and then I was on the floor—well, almost on the floor, anyway."

Bisht put his hand on his forehead and sighed. "They're not gonna like that answer…"

His brother shifted uncomfortably on the hospital bed. "I figured as much. But, eh, what can you do? Emit already escaped."

"I guess," said Bisht. He glanced at the medic on the other side of the hospital wing, fluttering around the curtains surrounding the young prince, and lowered his voice. "But we don't know how he got off the island. And if we don't know how he got off, chances are that he didn't."

"Link left on a boat," replied Basht.

"From what I heard, the higher-ups are saying Link didn't go with him."

"How do they know?"

Bisht shrugged. "That's just what they're saying. I don't know all the details. But they've got some ironclad reason to believe Link has nothing to do with Emit, even though they came to Dragon Roost together."

"And Reoh? What about him?"

The question gave Bisht pause, and he rubbed his beak before answering. "…You know, they didn't mention him at all. It's like… he dropped off the face of the sea, or something."

"Strange," said Basht as he sank deeper into his pillow. "What if we asked Skett and Akoot?"

"They're busy."

"They're always busy."

"Because they are," said Bisht with a shrug. "Guarding the Chieftain and whatnot. It's their job. Besides," he interrupted, "they weren't there. You're the one who saw that flash."

"…Fair point," agreed Basht.

"Are you sure you don't know what it was?"

Basht lifted his head, and there was something of suspicion and hurt that didn't belong in his red eyes. "Bisht…"

"It's not that I doubt your testimony," he said quickly. "But any clues at all would be better than none."

Basht nodded, maybe a little sheepish, but maybe not completely satisfied with his assurance, either. Or maybe that was Bisht's paranoia. "It was just a flash. A white light and loud noise, and then—"

"—you were on the floor," completed Bisht.

"Exactly."

"Almost."

Basht paused. "…'Almost'?"

"That's what you said, right?" If Bisht had spectacles, he'd be looking over them at Basht. "You said, 'well, almost, anyway.'"

"Ah, that." Basht nodded. "Emit caught me before I hit the floor."

Bisht nodded. "Oh."

The door swung open, and the medic bustled in with a clipboard and a postman in tow. They discussed something about bills for a family on Windfall, something else about sorting mail and how ridiculously inefficient the current system was, and some other something else about how the scales in the medic room needed replacing and that it was completely unfair that the postmen had proper scales for their _letters_ while people were dying due to improperly measured doses. The postman left with a laugh, then left the medic alone to fuss what seemed like a checklist of the young prince's conditions. The door swung open once more, and the medic left the room with a resounding _thud_ of the door.

"Wait," Bisht blurted out, "he what?"

"And apologized," said Basht.

* * *

"Maybe we should go find the Ritos a fairy," mused Link aloud.

Navi folded her wings on her left side, then on her right. "I… suppose that would help the situation."

"The problem with that," said Link as he stood from his seat to pace, "is that there are no fairies on the island."

"Usually there's islands in dungeons, right?"

"We looked in the dungeon. There's nothing."

"…Peculiar," murmured Navi.

"Why do you think that is?"

"They died out?"

"Perhaps. There aren't any Zoras or Gorons, although it's too early to say they don't exist at all. They might have just relocated… but if they didn't and really did go extinct" (and Navi could hear the frustration and fear in the word) "then it wouldn't be a stretch to say the fairies followed suit," said Link, half to himself, and half to Navi. He scratched the side of his cheek, leaving a long streak of black soot from the underside of his chipped, shorn nails, and Navi noted that she really needed to find a body of water that wasn't scalding hot from the volcano for Link to take a bath in. His hair was a nasty, sticky mess, his clothes were unraveling on his very limbs from heat, and he had more streaks of soot on him than there were scars. Which said something. Watching him pace in the red half-light of the Bokoblin's dining room, Navi didn't blame the Ritos for thinking him a criminal; despite his measured steps, he completely looked the part.

Navi refolded her wings on the right side, sighed, and shifted them back to the left side. "Well… didn't the pirates mention a fairy spring?"

"Did they?"

"…Um. I think?" was all Navi could say.

"In that case, if there are fairy springs, why aren't the Ritos using fairies to heal the prince?"

"There could be millions of reasons," said Navi. "But—"

"—we won't know until we go out and see for ourselves," said Link. "But to do that—"

"—we need to get off the island."

It sounded like a plan to Navi, but Link shook his head and resumed pacing, the rhythm of his methodical pace jumping one step too fast. His foot hit a shattered piece of pottery and sent it skittering across the bloody rock floor, and if it was by accident or exasperated contemplation, Navi couldn't tell. "If they know that we leave, that'll take the search outside the island, and that will mean that we're essentially fugitives in the whole ocean. If they think they have us contained to this one island, then it'll be easier to travel outside. But before that, it's worth thinking if we should be leaving at all; running would be seen as admitting our own guilt."

"And what could we do here?"

"The dragon was a start, wasn't he?"

"That's true. Do you think it might be resolved by their deity first?" Navi asked, but without waiting for an answer, plowed right on ahead: "Going off the island would ruin Valoo's vouch for us, but the longer we stay on the island, the longer we run the risk of getting caught."

"Then," said Link, "what do you think I should do?"

"Would you do what I said?"

"It depends on if it was what I was going to do anyway," said Link, a little dryly, because they both knew it wasn't entirely true.

So she brightened—both figuratively and literally. She drew herself up to her full four-inch height, then a little higher as she buzzed into the air at Link's eye level. Her wings centered and balanced (none of this left and right business), she cleared her throat and with all the conviction her tiny frame could hold, she said, "You should talk to the Ritos and convince them of your innocence with Valoo's help—_after_ you have a healing fairy to back you up. I can talk to the dragon to coordinate and ask about the location of fairy springs, then sneak off the island."

"And that's what you think is the best course of action?"

She dipped once in the air, like a nod of her whole body. "Sometimes," she said, "it has to get worse before it gets better."

* * *

They arrived at the island with the air of a funeral procession. Link was sure he was supposed to be saying something to Kid-Link, something to boost his spirits or at least make him crack a smile, but every time he looked at him and his open eyelids and closed eyes, he just shut his mouth and turned away.

It was quite ridiculous, really. By the time the next island's shadow had completely emerged from the horizon, Link was more exasperated with himself than anything else.

"It may appear that this is but a great tree rising far above the ocean's surface, but Forest Haven is a sacred place," said the boat, the line of his wooden mouth stern and flat. "Inside, you must speak with the Great Deku Tree, the spirit of the earth, and receive from him the sacred gem known as Farore's Pearl."

"Alright," said Kid-Link. He wrapped the end of the rope around itself and tossed it in with the folded sail, then put one foot on the edge of the boat to jump into the shallow water. On a whim, Link held out a hand. He saw the way Kid-Link considered the hand, and considered the hand even after he took it and let Link help him down, and considered the hand especially when the water wasn't shallow at all and came up to his waist. But all he said was, "Thanks, Reoh."

Link turned away. "Welcome."

"Reoh, you especially should listen well," interrupted the boat. "I fear that Ganon's vile hand may have already reached this most sacred of sanctuaries. Go with caution, Link; and Reoh, I ask that you not only do the same, but see to Link's safety."

"Of course," Link answered. That, at least, he didn't hesitate about.

The boat, evidently satisfied, nodded. "Then good luck, both of you."

Kid-Link gestured with his head for Link to follow him as he trudged inland, and Link wondered when Kid-Link had become the leader of this little expedition. But somehow he was, because Link waited for him—for the kid, an eleven-year-old child masquerading as an adult—to survey the winding rock faces, jagged and yet coated with a carpet of grass that soaked into the edges. The kid's gaze traveled up the clean, clear stream that trickled down through the crisscross of haphazard paths, and when he began to climb through the tall, reedy grass, Link was only a step behind.

"Reoh," he asked abruptly, "have you ever been here before?"

The glance that Link shot him was open enough for Kid-Link to see the confusion and, perhaps, resigned surprise. "Why do you ask?"

"Because when he said Great Deku Tree, you did something funny."

"What did I do?"

"I'm not really sure myself," said Kid-Link. "But it reminded me of—"

Then Link planted one hand on his chest and shoved him backwards, and in one frozen snapshot Link had after the fact he could have sworn he saw the Deku Baba's teeth inches from the kid's nose. Only now did shock manage to register on his face, Link realized. That's how far he'd let his guard down, and they were only three minutes off the boat.

"Watch out," he said, and shifted his hand to the kid's back to help him catch his balance. "There's Deku Babas in the grass. They'll pop out of their buds when you get close."

Kid-Link swallowed hard, his thin throat pulsing. "…Thanks, Reoh."

"Maybe just watch where you're going next time. There's no conversation topic important enough to get distracted and die over, is there?"

"But I didn't die," Kid-Link pointed out.

"Because I'm here."

"Yeah," agreed Kid-Link, easily enough that Link knew he had no problem with that.

"You know, if I wasn't here, you'd be in that thing's mouth right now?"

"But you _are_ here," said Kid-Link, and with that he veered into the tall grass around the Deku Baba, not looking once at the Deku Baba or his sword. Link pushed the hair out of his eyes and trotted after him, not sure if to smile and pat him on the head for his straightforward logic, or to smack his own forehead for a child's logic that was so straight it was bent. "So, you have been here before?"

"What?"

"Because you knew what that was," Kid-Link said. "Unless they have Deku Babas where you come from?"

"We… do." Link chose his words with care, and only absentmindedly pointed to another Deku Baba bud and steered the kid away. "They're not an uncommon monster. They're in a lot of woodland areas…" He paused and turned, realizing how terribly close he was to the edge of an island, and how high above the ocean they were now. He looked down over the edge and saw the waves splash into the hollow of the island's side; he looked up and saw the endless horizon, barely able to differentiate between blue ocean and blue sky. "If this could be called a woodland area."

"What's a woodland area?"

"A huge piece of land," said Link, still staring at the ocean and suddenly feeling overwhelmed at how _vast_ and _empty_ it was, "filled with trees and plants and… stuff. I dunno. Just lots of trees, so many trees until it sort of blends into this huge tree—I mean, metaphorically, not literally—and becomes a living thing from the sheer amount of life." He paused. "And no salt air."

"Like the top of Outset?"

"Except bigger. Much, much bigger. And I said no salt." Link shot the kid a smirk.

It wasn't returned. "Oh. I wouldn't know what it would be like to not have salt in the air. I guess Dragon Roost Cavern did smell different."

He almost grit his teeth, he really did. He pictured his hands on the kid's collar, shaking him awake;

_Patience. Wait for him. He needs time, and it's your job now to match his pace._

"You know, I lived in a woodland area."

The child's eyes widened just enough—_just_ enough. "What was it like?"

"Simple. It wasn't the most elaborate life, but it was simple. It's the people," said Link firmly, "that matter, anyway." He shrugged and began walking again. "But, eh. I can't go back, anyway."

But Kid-Link didn't move, and remained there until Link stopped and drifted back to him, like some sort of bizarre leash. "You already came with me to the top of the mountain, right?"

Link's brow furrowed.

"Doesn't that count as guiding me through an adventure?" asked Kid-Link. "You don't have to see it through to my sister's rescue, if going back home means that much to you."

Link's eyebrows lifted, then he looked away and gave a little snort. "Yeah, I guess that's true. But"—and he crossed his arms in a half-hearted attempt to look sour—"I'll see this one through to the end."

"Is that a promise?"

"…Sure." He gave a shrug, as if to say, "Why not?"

Kid-Link laughed out loud, teeth showing in his grin, and Link's foot skidded and almost tripped on the hillside. "You're being awfully open today."

"Usually, you don't say stuff like that if you want the other party to continue." He smiled back, with fondness that belied the fact that he was equipping the kid with tools that would be used against him. "It's better for info-gathering."

Kid-Link's smile stretched, but the teeth disappeared when he scratched his head in embarrassment. "Ah, well, I'll remember that next time?"

They continued the rest of the way in somewhat comfortable silence—or at least, Link felt more comfortable. He'd seen, if but for a moment, Kid-Link again. Even though Kid-Link was somehow not all there, what was there was Link's to protect.

It was a conviction that carried him even when Midna, still silent in his shadow, wouldn't stop laughing.

* * *

_A/N: Next chapter my inner ham comes out. But until I can get it to move its lazy butt, I'll be writing drabbles for every single island of the Great Sea. Because I clearly do not have a Zelda oneshot, a Zelda multichapter with 45 Links, and a Geass billionchapter to be writing. So, then—thank you, dear readers, for reading this chapter, and again, thank you. (*shot for reference*)_

_Reviews are appreciated~_


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